4       ^V*-\^ 

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■'■'■^X' 


OGICAL 


LIFE  AND  LABOURS 


U: 


OF 


^ 


ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D„ 


MISSIONARY  IN  SOUTH  AFRICA, 


WITH 


ADDITIONAL  CHAPTERS  ON  CHRISTIAN  MISSIONS  IN 
AFRICA  AND  TUROUOHOUT  THE  WORLD. 


BY 

/ 

REV.  WILLIAM  WALTERS. 


NEW  YORK: 

ROBERT    CARTER    &    BROTHERS, 

530    BROADWAY. 


PHI 


*^\  'i^  TT 1?  r,  ^.  f 


5|^ri^frtc^* 


*^>.. 


f?-: 


'^f: 


^HRISTIAN"  Foreign  Missions,  on  the  scale  and  in 
the  manner  in  which  they  are  now  carried  forward  by 
the  Church  of  Christ,  are  characteristic  of  the  nine- 
teenth century.  Among  the  men  sent  out  to  preach  the 
Gospel  to  the  heathen  are  some  of  the  greatest  and  best 
of  the  age,  and  some  of  the  most  eminent  benefactors  of 
the  race.  A  true  missionary  is  one  of  the  world's  highest 
nobles.  The  Rev.  Griffith  John,  who  has  been  for  above  a 
quarter  of  a  century  teaching  Christianity  in  China,  said 
the  other  day:  "I  look  upon  the  missionary  work  as  the 
noblest  work  under  heaven ;  and  I  look  upon  the  position 
of  the  missionary,  though  he  be  the  humblest,  as  the 
highest  and  noblest  in  the  world."  That  is  a  correct 
estimate  of  missionary  work  and  character. 

Kobert  Moffat,  whose  life  has  been  sketched  in  the  follow- 
ing pages,  occupies  a  place  in  the  front  rank  of  the  mission- 
ary band.  His  history  is  a  marvellous  illustration  of  the 
grandeur  and  power  of  goodness,  and  his  labours  are  full  of 
proof  of  the  saving  efficacy  and  civilising  effects  of  the  Gospel 


PREFACE. 


of  Jesus  Christ,  He  still  lives  among  us,  having  retired 
from  his  more  active  toils  to  enjoy  in  his  old  days  the  happy 
recollections  of  his  past  useful  life,  and  to  look  forward  \vith 
all  the  pleasures  of  a  "good  hope"  to  his  heavenly  reward. 

It  has  been  thought  well  to  add  two  chapters — one  on 
African  Missions  generally,  and  another  on  missions  through- 
out the  world — as  calculated  to  increase  the  usefulness  of 
the  book  and  promote  the  cause  to  which  Dr.  Moffat  has 
devoted  his  life. 

The  writer  is  indebted  to  many  sources  for  the  varied 
information  he  has  been  enabled  to  collect  and  present  in 
this  volume.  While  gratefully  acknowledging  his  obliga- 
tions to  all,  he  would  make  special  mention  of  "  Missionary 
Labours  and  Scenes  in  South  Africa,"  by  Robert  MotFat ; 
"Ten  Years  North  of  the  Orange  E-iver,"  by  Rev.  John 
Mackenzie ;  and  the  "  Printed  Proceedings  of  the  General 
Conference  on  Foreign  Missions,"  held  in  London  in  October 
1878. 

WILLIAM   WALTERS. 

Tynemovth,  March  1SS2. 


m^'^: 


^^S^Ofi/ 


CONTENTS.  " 


CHAPTER  I. 

Page 
First    Christian    Missions    to    South    Africa  —  Moravians  —  Dr. 

Yanderkerap 9 

CHAPTER  II. 

Moffat's  immediate  Predecessors — Condition  of  the  Bushmen       -    16 


CHAPTER  III. 

Moffat's  Early  Life — Call  to  Mission  Work — Consecration 

CHAPTER  IV. 


22 


The  Missionary's  Designation — Departure — Eutmnce  on  Work — 

Dutch  Farmers      -  r-.        *.         en,        -         -         -     28 

CHAPTER  T. 

Residence  at  Africaner's  Kraal — Discomfort  and  Loneliness  -        -     36 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Travelling  in  the  Interior — Lions — Thirst — Eiding  on  Oxen  •     41 


6  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VII.  P^GE 

Scenes  in  Namaqua  Land— Cruelty  to  the  Aged— Mode  of  Living     48 

CHAPTER  VIIL 

Visit  to  Griqua  Town— Crow  and  Tortoise— The  Orange  River — 
Poisoned  Water 54 

CHAPTER  IX. 

History  and  Character  of  Africaner — Africaner  and  the  Dutch 
Fanner — Africaner  at  Cape  Town — His  Death       -        -        -    61 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  Bechuana  Mission — MofHit's  Marriage— Bechuana  Tribes  and 
Customs .--70 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Increased    Dangers    at    Lithako  —  The    Rain-maker  —  Moffat's 
Courage ..79 

CHAPTER  XIL 

Invasion  of  the  Mantatees — Kuruman  Fountain — Visit  to  Cape 
Town 84 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Moffat's  Visit  to  the  Chief  Makaba — Mrs.  Moffat's  Danger  and 
Deliverance 91 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

First  Years  at  Kuruman — Locusts — Visit  to  the   Barolongs  — 
Formation  of  Native  Church 97 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Kuruman  under  the  Influence  of  the  Gospel — Houses  and  Gardens 
— Sunday  at  Kuruman — Successes 105 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XVI.  PAGE 

Moselekatse  and  the  Matabele — Moffat's  Visit  to  Moselekatse — 

Houses  in  Trees — Ruined  Villages  .        -        -        -        -  115 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Varied  Experiences — Visit  to  Cape  Town — Mamonyatsi— Moslieu 

— A  Singing  Class 126 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Translations  and  tlie  Printincj  Press — Influence  of  tlie  Bible  -  131 


CHAPTER  XTX. 

Visit  to  England — Return  to  Africa — Encouragement   -        •        .149 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Sechele,  Chief  of  the  Bakwena — Kolobeng — Liteyana  .        -        -  155 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

*     Second  and  Third  Visits  to  Moselekatse — Supplies  for  Living- 
stone— Liberation  of  Macheng 164 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Matabele  and  Makololo  Mission — Missionaries  Settle  among  the 
Matabele — Dreadful  Disaster  to  JSIr.  and  Mrs.  Ilelniorc  and 
Family — Mr.  Price's  Calamity 177 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Changes  at   Kuruman — Bereavements — The   Station  Visited   by 

Drought — John  Moffat  assists  his  Father — Moffat's  Liflucuce  193 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Retirement  from  the  Mission  Field — Port  Elizabeth — Cape  Town 

— Welcome  Home 203 


8  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXV.  page 

Fruitful  and  Honourable  Age — Enthusiastic  Recc[ttion  in  Exeter 

Hall— Testimonial  from  Friends — Speeches— Magazine  Papers  214 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Elements  of  Character — Philanthropy — Courage — Spirit  of  Adven- 
ture— Adaptation  to  Circumstances — Comprehensive  View  of 
his  Work — Mechanical  Ingenuity — Perseverance — Love  for 
the  People — Devotion  to  Christ 236 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Other  African  Missions :  Wesleyan — Free  Church  of  Scotland — 
Paris  Society — Rhenish  Society — Berlin  Society — American 
Board — Society  of  Friends — Moravians — Universities'  Mission 
— Baptist — Basle — United  Methodist  Free  Church — Missions 
in  Egypt  and  Central  Africa 252 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

General  Survey  of  Missions  throughout  the  World —Progi'ess  of 
Christianity  :  India,  China,  Japan,  Burmah,  Polynesia,  Mada- 
gascar, New  Hebrides,  New  Guinea,  West  Indies,  Ottoman 
Empire,  Indian  Archipelago — Testimonies  of  Travellers — 
Faith  in  Missions  -------.-  275 


LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT^  D.D. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PITIST  CHRISTIAN  MISSIONS  TO  SOUTH  AFRICA. 

|N  presenting  our  readers  with  a  narrative  of  the  life 
and  labours  of  Robert  Moffat,  the   "  Apostle  of 
South  Africa,"  it  may  be  well  to  devote  one  or  two 
chapters  to  some  notice  of  missionary  labours  in 
that  part  of  the  world  prior  to  his  time. 

The  honour  of  sending  forth  the  first  Christian  missionary 
to  South  Africa  belongs  to  the  Dutch  nation.  In  1652  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  which  was  discovered  and  doubled 
by  Bartholojiew  Diaz,  a  Portuguese  navigator,  as  early  as 
1486,  was  taken  possession  of  by  Holland,  and  became  a 
Dutch  colony.  The  whole  of  the  district,  afterwards 
designated  the  colony  proper,  was  inhabited  by  Hottentots, 
a  degraded,  despised,  and  oppressed  race.  Some  Christian 
people  in  Amsterdam  hearing  of  their  sad  condition  were 
moved  with  compassion  towards  them,  and  resolved  to 
make  an  effort  to  promote  their  present  and  eternal  welfare 


10  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

l»y  providing  them  with  the  Gospel.  They  accordingly 
applied  to  the  Moravian  Church  to  send  out  a  missionary  to 
the  Cape,  that  he  might  instruct  the  natives  in  the  Christian 
religion. 

One  George  Schmidt,  a  native  of  Germany,  a  man  of 
zeal  and  courage,  offered  himself  for  this  service,  and  in  1736 
left  Europe  for  Africa.  The  following  year  he  arrived  at 
the  Cape,  and  ultimately  fixed  his  residence  at  a  desert 
place  on  Sergeant's  Hiver,  about  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles  east  of  Cape  Town,  known  by  the  name  of  Bavian's 
Kloof,  or  the  Baboon's  Glen — a  name  which  was  afterwards 
changed  to  Gnadenthal,  or  the  Yale  of  Grace.  Here  he 
assembled  many  of  the  people,  and  began  a  school,  which 
soon  numbered  fifty  children.  He  also  preached  the  glad 
tidings  of  salvation  through  Jesus  Christ ;  and  though  he 
could  only  address  these  Hottentots  through  the  medium  of 
an  interpreter,  the  blessing  of  God  so  rested  on  his  labours 
that  in  a  short  time  some  of  his  hearers  were  led  to  a 
saving  knowledge  of  the  Gospel,  and  became  true  Christians. 
At  the  same  time  the  general  native  population  regarded 
him  with  reverence  and  affection.  The  mission  appeared 
likely  to  prove  very  prosperous,  and  was  shewing  signs  of 
great  encouragement,  when,  in  1743,  circumstances  com- 
pelled Schmidt  to  return  to  Europe. 

This  enforced  abandonment  of  the  v/ork  was  extremely 
unfortunate.  The  enemies  of  religious  instruction,  both  in 
the  mother-country  and  the  colony,  exerted  themselves  to 
prevent  his  resumption  of  it,  and  their  unhallowed  efforts 
were  but  too  successful.  The  Dutch  East  India  Company, 
who  exercised  authority  in  the  colony,  actuated  by  repre- 
sentations that  to  instruct  the  Hottentots  would  be 
injurious  to  colonial  interests,  refused  to  sanction  the 
missionary's  return  to  his  field  of  labour.  The  Church  of 
Holland  was  in  this  matter  unfaithful  to  her  Lord,  and 
failed  in  the  discharge  of  her  solemn  duty,  in  spite  of  the 


MISSIONS  TO  SOUTU  AFRICA.  11 


earnest  representations  and  entreaties  of  a  faithful  few 
within  her  pale.  The  successful  opposition  to  the  mis- 
sionary's departure  again  for  Africa,  and  resumption  of  his 
work  there,  was  all  the  more  distressing  to  those  who 
sympathised  with  his  noble  efforts,  because  of  the  intelli- 
gence which  was  received  of  the  anxiety  with  which  the 
Hottentots  awaited  his  return.  Patiently  they  assembled 
from  time  to  time  to  edify  one  another  by  reading  the 
word  of  God,  and  by  praying  that  their  eyes  might  once 
more  see  their  teacher.  Their  desires  and  prayers,  however, 
were  in  vain.  Every  attempt  to  resume  the  mission  was 
for  the  time  fruitless. 

At  length,  almost  half  a  century  after  Schmidt's  labours, 
three  other  missionaries — Marsveldt,  Schwinn,  and  Kiichnel 
— were  allowed  to  sail  for  the  Cape.  They  arrived  toward 
the  end  of  November  1792,  and  were  well  received.  The 
place  indicated  to  them  as  the  most  eligible  for  a  settlement 
was  the  very  spot  which  Schmidt  had  occupied.  Accordingly 
they  hastened  thither.  On  their  arrival  they  found  part  of 
the  walls  of  his  house  still  standing,  and  also  several  fruit- 
trees  planted  by  him  in  his  garden;  among  them  was  a 
large  pear  tree,  under  whose  shade  they  held  their  meetings 
for  worship  until  their  new  dwelling  was  completed.  At  a 
short  distance  from  the  remains  of  the  missionary's  house 
other  ruined  walls  marked  the  site  of  the  humble  cottaires 
which  his  affectionate  hearers  once  inhabited.  Among  the 
people  who  came  to  visit  them  was  an  old  woman,  who, 
though  about  seventy  years  of  age,  seemed  to  have  a 
tolerable  recollection  of  her  former  pastor,  and  shewed  them 
a  Dutch  New  Testament  which  he  had  given  her,  and 
which,  from  its  worn  condition,  appeared  to  have  been  in 
constant  use.  She  had  preserved  it  as  a  precious  treasure, 
and,  although  feeble  and  bending  under  the  weight  of  years, 
she  expressed  her  great  joy  at  their  arrival  to  renew  the 
work  which  had  been  abandoned  so  long.     This  old  disciple 


12  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


spent  her  last  years  in  peace  at  the  Moravian  station,  and 
amidst  many  bodily  sufferings  maintained  the  character  of  a 
true  child  of  God.  She  died  in  January  1800,  being,  as  was 
thought,  nearly  a  hundred  years  old. 

The  Hottentots  who  had  any  recollection  of  Schmidt  and 
his  labours,  or  who  had  heard  of  them  from  others,  soon 
gathered  around  his  successors.  A  school  was  opened  shortly 
after  their  settlement,  in  which  both  adults  and  children 
received  instruction.  Their  attendance  was  most  regular, 
and  they  manifested  an  eager  desire  for  learning.  In  the 
first  year  seven  of  them  professed  Christianity.  Many  and 
severe  were  the  trials  and  distresses  of  the  missionaries ; 
and  they  were  often  threatened  by  their  enemies  with  the 
destruction  of  their  goods  and  with  death.  But  God  had 
them  in  his  safe  keeping,  so  that  no  harm  befel  them.  The 
new  converts,  too,  had  to  encounter  much  opposition  from 
the  Dutch  colonists,  and  even  from  some  of  the  officials  at 
Cape  Town.  The  following  incident  is  worthy  of  preserva- 
tion, and  cannot  fail  to  be  read  with  interest.  One  of  the 
converts,  finding  that  his  master  wished  to  prevent  Iiis 
going  to  the  meetings  conducted  by  the  missionaries,  said  to 
him,  "If  you  will  answer  for  my  soul  then  I  will  stay." 
The  words  arrested  the  master's  attention  and  pierced  his 
conscience.  "I  cannot  answer,"  lie  replied,  "for  my  own 
soul,  much  less  for  that  of  another ; "  and  forthwith  he 
granted  the  servant  full  permission  to  go.  In  spite  of  all 
opposition  the  work  was  attended  with  such  success  that,  in 
1799,  out  of  about  twelve  hundred  residents  at  the  settle- 
ment of  Bavian's  Kloof,  upwards  of  tliree  hundred  were 
members  of  the  congregation.  The  blessed  effects  of  the 
Gospel  were  seen  not  only  in  the  spiritual  change  of  the 
people,  but  also  in  the  general  and  very  marked  improve- 
ment of  their  temporal  condition. 

In  March  1799,  another  devoted  band  of  Christian 
missionaries,    sent  out   under  the  auspices  of   the  London 


MISSIONS  TO  SOUTH  AFRICA.  13 


Missionary  Society,  landed  at  Cape  Town.     The  chief  of  these 
was  the  Rev.  Dr.  Vanderkemp,  a  native  of  Holland — a  man 
of  distinguished  talents  and  attainments,  great  courage  and 
decision   of  character,  considerable  experience,   and   heroic 
self-sacrifice.      Having  cast  his  eye  over  the  condition  of  the 
Hottentots,  he  concluded  that  there  was  scarcely  any  pos- 
sibility of  making  progress  among  a  people  so  proscribed  by 
Government,  and  at  the  mercy  of  their  white  neighbours,  on 
whom  they  could  not  look  without  indignation,  as  any  other 
human  beings  would  have  done  under  similar  circumstances  ; 
he  consequently  very  naturally  directed  his  steps  to  those 
who  were   yet   free   from   these   unjustifiable   restrictions. 
Instead,    therefore,    of    settling    amongst    the    Hottentots, 
Vanderkemp  determined  to  go  and  preach  to  the  CafFres. 
In  a  few  months  after  his  arrival  he  left  Cape  Town  for 
Caffraria,   the  chosen  scene  of  his  labours.     The  country 
through    which    he    and    Mr.     Edmonds,    his    companion, 
travelled    was    thinly    populated,     and    they    experienced 
many  narrow  escapes  from  wild   beasts,  as  well    as   from 
Hottentots  and  Bushmen,  of  character  still  more  ferocious. 
♦They     were,    however,    kindly   treated    by    the    colonists 
through  whose  farms  they  passed,  and  who  embraced  every 
opportunity  of  hearing  them  preach.     After  a  journey  of 
about  eight  weeks  they  reached  the  borders  of  Caffraria, 
and  sent  an  embassy  to  Gaika,  the  king  of  the  country,  who 
invited  them  to  settle  in  his  territories.     When,  however, 
they  arrived  at  his  residence,  and  explained  their  object  to 
him,  he  informed  them  that  they  had  come  at  an  unfor- 
tunate time,  for  disturbances  had  broken  out  between  the 
colonists  and  some  of  his  people,  which  might  expose  them 
to  danger. 

The  truth  of  the  matter  was,  that  a  deadly  strife  had  long 
existed,  and  was  now  bitterly  raging,  between  the  Caffres 
and  the  colonial  farmers.  The  former  were  continually 
making  depredations  on  the  farms  of  the  latter,  whom  they 


14  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


regarded  as  intruders,  and  stealing  their  cattle ;  while  the 
latter  naturally  resisted  these  raids,  and  fought  for  the  pre- 
servation of  their  property.  It  should  be  stated  that  the 
native  chiefs  affirmed  that  they  were  prompted  to  their 
conduct  by  the  example  set  first,  and  on  a  larger  scale,  by 
the  colonists.  Such  being  the  state  of  affairs,  Gaika  and  his 
people  regarded  their  new  visitors  as  spies,  who  had  come 
to  try  to  secure  their  cattle,  and  probably  get  possession  of 
their  country.  The  missionaries  found  their  residence 
among  the  people  full  of  inconvenience  and  peril,  and  not 
likely  to  be  productive  of  much  good.  Mr.  Edmonds  soon 
left,  and  afterwards  proceeded  to  the  East  Indies.  After 
remaining  a  few  months  longer,  Vanderkemp  also  retired 
from  the  country,  and  settled  down  to  labour  among  the 
Hottentots.  He  wrought  hard  among  these  people  for  up- 
wards of  ten  years,  not  only  imparting  religious  instruction 
and  seeking  their  salvation,  but  endeavouring,  by  practical 
sympathy  with  them  in  their  oppression,  by  publicly  expos- 
ing their  wrongs  and  pleading  on  their  behalf,  to  lighten 
their  temporal  lot.  Not  content  with  this  sphere  of  self- 
sacrifice  and  toil,  he  had  long  contemplated  a  mission  to 
Madagascar ;  and  though  he  was  advanced  in  years,  his 
soul  burned  with  youthful  ardour  to  enter  on  that  difiicult 
and  dangerous  undertaking.  It  was  in  his  heart,  but  God 
had  ordered  otherwise.  After  a  few  days'  illness  he  died, 
in  the  midst  of  the  Hottentot  people,  December  15th,  1811. 
His  last  words  were — "All  is  well.'' 

Speaking  of  Vanderkemp's  character,  Dr.  Moffat  bears 
this  noble  testimony : — "  He  was  a  man  of  exalted  genius 
and  learning.  He  had  mingled  with  courtiers.  He  had 
been  an  inmate  of  the  universities  of  Ley  den  and  Edinburgh. 
He  had  obtained  plaudits  for  his  remarkable  progress  in 
literature,  in  philosophy,  divinity,  physic,  and  the  military 
art.  He  was  not  only  a  profound  student  in  ancient 
languages,  but  in  all  tlic  modern  European  tongues,  even 


MISSIONS  TO  SOUTH  AFRICA.  15 

to  that  of  the  Highlanders  of  Scotland,  and  had  distinguished 
himself  in  the  armies  of  his  earthly  sovereign,  in  connection 
with  which  he  rose  to  be  captain  of  horse  and  lieutenant  of 
dragoon  guards.  Yet  this  man,  constrained  by  the  love  of 
Christ,  could  cheerfully  lay  aside  all  his  honours,  mingle 
with  savages,  bear  their  sneers  and  contumely,  condescend 
to  serve  the  meanest  of  his  troublesome  guests — take  the 
axe,  the  sickle,  the  spade,  and  the  mattock — lie  down  on 
the  place  where  dogs  repose,  and  spend  nights  with  his 
couch  drenched  with  rain,  the  cold  wind  bringing  his 
fragile  house  about  his  ears.  Though  annoyed  by  the 
nightly  visits  of  hungry  hyenas,  sometimes  destroying  his 
sheep  and  travelling  appurtenances,  and  even  seizing  the  leg 
of  beef  at  his  tent  door ;  though  compelled  to  wander  about 
in  quest  of  lost  cattle,  and  exposed  to  the  perplexing  and 
humbling  caprice  of  those  whose  characters  were  stains  on 
human  nature — whisperings  occasionally  reaching  his  ears 
that  murderous  plans  were  in  progress  for  his  destruction — 
he  calmly  proceeded  with  his  benevolent  efforts,  and  to 
secure  his  object  would  stoop  with  the  meekness  of  wisdom 
to  please  and  propitiate  the  rude  and  wayward  children  of 
the  desert  whom  he  sought  to  bless.  He  came  from  a 
university  to  stoop  to  teach  the  alphabet  to  the  poor  native 
Hottentot  and  CafFre — from  the  society  of  nobles  to  associate 
with  beings  of  the  lowest  grade  in  the  scale  of  humanity — 
from  stately  mansions  to  the  filthy  hovel  of  the  greasy 
African — from  the  army  to  instruct  the  fierce  savage  the 
tactics  of  a  heavenly  warfare  under  the  banner  of  the  Prince 
of  Peace — from  the  study  of  physic  to  become  the  guide  to 
the  balm  in  Gilead,  and  the  physician  there — and  finally, 
from  a  life  of  earthly  honour  and  ease,  to  be  exposed  to 
perils  of  waters,  of  robbers,  of  his  own  countrymen,  of  the 
heathen,  in  the  city,  in  the  wilderness."  "He  was  little," 
says  another  in  fewer  words,  yet  not  less  expressive  and 
true,  "behind  the  cLiefest  apostles  of  our  Lord." 


CHAPTER    II. 


MOFFAT  S  IMMEDIATE  PREDECESSORS. 


E  have  already  spoken  of  Dr.  Vanderkemp  and  his 
work,  but  some  mention  should  be  made  of  the 
labours  of  others  no  less  devoted,  though  perhaps  not 
so  distinguished — men  whose  witness  is  in  Heaven 
and  whose  record  is  on  high.  While  Dr.  Yanderkemp  and  Mr. 
Edmonds  proceeded  to  CafFraria,  three  of  their  companions, 
Messrs.  Kicherer,  Kramer,  and  Edwards,  directed  their  way 
to  the  Zak  Hiver,  between  four  and  five  hundred  miles  north- 
east of  Cape  Town.  Here  they  laboured  with  untiring 
diligence  and  zeal  among  the  Bushmen,  a  degraded  race. 
It  is  scarcely  possible  to  find  a  more  wretched  people  among 
all  the  tribes  of  the  earth.  "With  the  exception  of  the 
Troglodytes,  a  people  said  by  Pliny  to  exist  in  the  interior 
of  JSorthern  Africa,  no  tribe  or  people  are  surely  more 
brutish,  ignorant,  and  miserable  than  the  Bushmen  of  the 
interior  of  Southern  Africa.  They  have  neither  house  nor 
shed,  neither  flocks  nor  herds.  Their  most  delightful  home 
is  afar  in  the  desert,  the  unfrequented  mountain  pass,  or 
the  secluded  recesses  of  a  cave  or  ravine.  They  remove 
from  place  to  place,  as  convenience  or  necessity  requires. 
The  man  takes  his  spear,  and  suspends  his  bow  and  quiver 


MO F Pats  iMMEDIA'PE  PREDECESSOnS.     17 

on  his  shoulders ;  while  the  women,  in  addition  to  the 
burden  of  a  helpless  infant,  frequently  carries  a  mat,  an 
earthen  pot,  a  number  of  ostrich  egg-shells,  and  a  few  ragged 
skins,  bundled  on  her  head  or  shoulder.  Accustomed  to  a 
migratory  life,  and  entirely  dependent  on  the  chase  for  a 
precarious  subsistence,  they  have  contracted  habits  which 
could  scarcely  be  credited  of  human  beings.  Hunger  com- 
pels them  to  feed  on  everything  edible — Ixias,  wild  garlic, 
mysembryanthemums,  the  core  of  aloes,  gum  of  acacias,  and 
several  other  plants  and  berries,  some  of  which  are  extremely 
unwholesome,  constitute  their  fruits  of  the  field ;  whilst 
almost  every  kind  of  living  creature  is  eagerly  devoured — 
lizards,  locusts,  and  grasshoppers  not  excepted.  The  poison- 
ous as  well  as  innoxious  serpents  they  roast  and  eat.  They 
cut  off  the  head  of  the  former,  which  they  dissect,  and  care- 
fully extract  the  bags,  or  reservoirs  of  poison,  which  com- 
municate with  the  fangs  of  the  upper  jaw.  They  mingle  it 
with  the  milky  juice  of  the  euphorbia,  or  with  that  of  a 
poisonous  bulb.  After  simmering  for  some  time  on  a  slow 
fire  it  acquires  the  consistency  of  wax,  with  which  they 
» cover  the  points  of  their  arrows." 

To  the  above  description,  supplied  by  Moffat,  we  may  add 
the  further  testimony  of  Mr.  Kicherer,  whose  opportunities, 
while  living  among  them,  of  becoming  acquainted  with  their 
condition  were  most  ample.  "  Their  manner  of  life  is  ex- 
tremely wretched  and  disgusting.  They  delight  to  besmear 
their  bodies  with  the  fat  of  animals,  mingled  with  ochre, 
and  sometimes  with  grime.  They  are  utter  strangers  to 
cleanliness,  as  they  never  Mash  their  bodies,  but  suffer  tlie 
dirt  to  accumulate,  so  that  it  will  hang  a  considerable  length 
from  their  elbows.  Their  huts  are  formed  by  digging  a 
hole  in  the  earth  about  three  feet  deep,  and  then  making  a 
roof  of  reeds,  which  is,  however,  insufficient  to  keep  off  the 
rains.  Here  they  lie  close  together,  like  pigs  in  a  sty. 
They  are  extremely  lazy,  so  that  nothing  will  rouse  them  to 


IS  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


action  but  excessive  hunger.  They  will  continue  several 
days  together  without  food  rather  than  be  at  the  pains  of 
procuring  it.  When  compelled  to  sally  forth  for  prey,  they 
are  dexterous  at  destroying  the  various  beasts  which  abound 
in  the  country ;  and  they  can  run  almost  as  well  as  a  horse. 
They  are  total  strangers  to  domestic  happiness.  The  men 
have  several  wives,  but  conjugal  affection  is  little  known. 
They  take  no  great  care  of  their  children,  and  never  correct 
them  except  in  a  fit  of  rage,  w^hen  they  almost  kill  them  by 
severe  usage.  In  a  quarrel  between  father  and  mother,  or 
the  several  wives  of  a  husband,  the  defeated  party  wreaks 
his  or  her  vengeance  on  the  child  of  the  conqueror,  which 
in  general  loses  its  life." 

The  labour  of  the  missionaries  among  these  people  was 
beset  by  many  difficulties  and  discouragements ;  and  though 
some  were  enlightened,  and  gave  evidence  of  conversion  to 
God,  the  mission  as  a  whole  proved  a  failure,  and  the  station 
was  at  length  given  up.  Mr.  Kicherer  having  visited 
Europe,  found  things  on  his  return  in  a  declining  state ;  and 
despairing  of  resuscitating  them,  he  entered  the  Dutch 
church,  leaving  the  station  in  charge  of  two  brethren.  The 
men  to  whose  care  it  was  entrusted,  though  distinguished 
by  exemplary  patience  under  groat  privations  and  hardships, 
were  at  length  compelled,  in  1806,  to  retire  from  the  post. 
On  the  day  of  their  departure  one  of  them  thus  writes : — • 
"This  day  we  leave  Zak  River,  the  place  which  has  cost  us 
so  many  sighs,  tears,  and  drops  of  sweat;  that  place  in 
which  we  have  laboured  so  many  days  and  nights  for  the 
salvation  of  immortal  souls ;  the  place  which,  probably 
before  long,  will  become  a  heap  of  ruins." 

Not  altogether  disheartened  by  the  small  success  among 
the  Bushmen  at  Zak  River,  the  friends  of  missions  made 
other  efforts  to  benefit  this  degraded  tribe.  In  1814:  Messrs. 
Smith  and  Corner  established  a  mission  at  Toornberg,  south 
of  the  Great  River.     About  five  hundred  Bushmen  took  up 


MOFFArS  IMMEDIATE  PREDECESSORS.     19 

their  abode  with  these  brethren,  and  for  a  time  things 
looked  bright  and  encouraging.  The  people  however  be- 
came suspicious  of  their  teachers.  There  was  strife  between 
the  Bushmen  and  the  farmers ;-  and  though  the  missionaries 
endeavoured  to  be  just  and  impartial  in  all  their  conduct, 
they  were  regarded  by  many  of  the  Bushmen  as  agents 
employed  by  the  farmers  to  carry  out  their  purposes  and 
plans.  Consequently,  while  a  Christian  church  was  formed 
and  Christian  civilisation  began  to  dawn,  yet  the  early 
promise  of  success  was  not  fulfilled  in  the  results.  Another 
mission,  begun  among  the  Bushmen  at  Hephzibah,  passed 
through  a  similar  experience.  It  was  extremely  difficult  for 
the  missionaries  to  keep  themselves  clear  of  the  disputes 
between  the  aborigines  and  the  colonists,  and  the  evils  to 
which  their  position  exposed  them  soon  proved  the  means 
of  obstructing  their  labours  and  blighting  all  their  hopes  of 
usefulness.  At  length  the  Cape  authorities  issued  an  order 
requiring  all  the  missionaries  to  retire  within  the  borders  of 
the  colony,  and  thus  evangelising  labours  among  these  wild 
people  ceased. 

Though  Zak  Kiver,  and  the  other  stations  formed  specially 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Bushmen,  did  not  fulfil  the  desires 
and  expectations  of  their  promoters,  yet  they  served  to 
point  the  way  and  become  a  stepping-stone  to  other  fields 
which  have  since  yielded  an  abundant  harvest.  It  was  by 
means  of  the  mission  to  the  Bushmen  and  Hottentots  of 
Zak  Biver  that  the  Namaquas,  Corannas,  Griquas,  and 
Bechuanas  became  known  to  the  Christian  world. 

As  early  as  1801  a  Mr.  Anderson,  who  had  lately  arrived 
at  the  Zak,  set  off  for  the  Orange  Biver,  to  make  known 
the  Gospel  in  that  district.  He  had  to  encounter  many 
difficulties,  but  succeeded  in  forming  the  settlement  of 
Griqua  Town,  together  with  a  number  of  smaller  stations 
near  at  hand,  in  all  of  which  he  introduced  a  knowledge  of 
agriculture,  and  established  order  and  obedience  to  authority. 


20  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D,D. 

When  the  Kev.  John  Campbell  visited  this  station  in  1813 
he  found  upwards  of  two  th'^-  sand  six  hundred  Griquas 
and  Corannas  living  n^"  ^  aome  of  whom  were  members 
of  the  church. 

In  October  1804,  two  brothers,  Messrs.  Christian  and 
Abraham  Albrecht,  and  others,  were  sent  out  by  the 
Netherland  Missionary  Society  from  Holland  to  South 
Africa,  and  settled  in  Namaqua  Land.  The  country  is 
described  as  most  destitute  and  miserable.  Moffat  says 
that  when  he  journeyed  thither,  several  years  after,  he 
asked  a  person  whom  he  met  on  the  road,  and  who  had  spent 
years  in  the  country,  what  was  its  character  and  appear- 
ance. "  Sir,"  the  man  replied,  "  you  will  find  plenty  of 
sand  and  stones,  a  thinly  scattered  population,  always 
suffering  from  want  of  water,  on  plains  and  hills,  roasted 
like  a  burnt  loaf  under  the  scorching  rays  of  a  cloudless 
sun."  The  truth  of  this  description  was  soon  proved.  The 
inhabitants  of  the  district  were  a  tribe  or  tribes  of  Hot- 
tentots, distinguished  by  all  the  characteristics  of  that 
nation,  which  includes  Hottentots,  Corannas,  Naraaquas,  and 
Bushmen.  In  their  native  state  they  were  deeply  sunk  in 
ignorance,  and  were  disgusting  in  their  appearance  and 
manners ;  but  their  intercourse  with  such  European  sailors 
as  had  visited  them  from  the  western  coast,  and  with  other 
white  men  professedly  Christian,  had  tended  to  degrade 
them  lower  still.  They  regarded  white  men  with  savage 
disgust.  When  Moffat  asked  one  of  them  why  he  had 
never  visited  the  missionary  station,  his  reply  was  :  "  I  have 
been  taught  from  my  infancy  to  look  upon  hat-men  (hat- 
wearers)  as  the  robbers  and  murderers  of  the  Namaquas. 
Our  friends  and  parents  have  been  robbed  of  their  cattle, 
and  shot  by  the  hat- wearers." 

The  devotion  of  the  Albrechts  and  their  companions  to  the 
welfare  of  these  people  involved  much  self-sacrifice,  toil,  and 
suffering.     Those  whom  they  sought  to  benefit  were,  more- 


MOFFAT'S  IMMEDIATE  PREDECESSORS.     21 

over,  suspicious  of  their  real  motives,  and  utterly  unable  to 
appreciate  their  philanthropic  and  Christian  zeal.  The 
government  authorities  at  the  Cape,  instead  of  affording 
them  hearty  encouragement,  fettered  them  with  needless  and 
annoying  restrictions.  Nevertheless,  some  blessing  rested 
on  their  efforts.  They  soon  had  a  considerable  number  of 
the  natives  under  their  care,  whose  temporal  condition  was 
much  improved,  and  not  a  few,  it  is  hoped,  were  converted 
to  God. 

In  February  1815,  four  other  missionaries  were  sent  by 
the  London  Missionary  Society  from  England  to  South 
Africa.  The  Rev.  John  Campbell,  who  had  gone  out  to 
visit  the  stations  and  report  on  them  and  on  the  prospects 
of  missionary  work  generally  in  that  part  of  the  world,  had 
represented  Lattakoo  as  a  proper  place  for  a  station.  The 
new  comers,  after  making  two  unsuccessful  attempts  to 
settle  at  that  town,  found  the  king  resolutely  opposed  to 
the  religious  instruction  of  his  people ;  but  at  length,  after 
learning  that  various  articles  would  be  sent  for  the  use  of 
himself  and  his  subjects,  he  mitigated  his  opposition.  They 
were  allowed  to  build  at  a  new  town,  about  three  days' 
journey  from  Lattakoo,  a  commodious  place  of  worship, 
capable  of  holding  four  hundred  persons,  and  a  long  row  of 
houses,  provided  with  excellent  gardens.  With  the  assistance 
of  the  Hottentots  attached  to  their  service  they  dug  a 
canal  three  miles  long,  by  which  the  whole  water  of  the 
neighbouring  river  could  be  brought  into  their  extensive 
fields.  Still  they  found  the  bigoted  adherence  of  the  natives 
to  their  ancient  customs  a  most  powerful  barrier  in  the  way 
both  of  their  civilisation  and  conversion  to  Christianity. 
After  all,  the  seed  of  Divine  truth  was  not  sown  by  these 
faithful  men  in  vain.  The  way  was  being  prepared  for 
that  eminent  and  successful  toiler  in  the  same  field  of  whose 
life  and  work  we  begin  a  record  in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER  III. 


Moffat's  early  life  and  call  to  mission  work. 


GOTLAND  has  given  to  the  Church  of  Christ  some 
of  her  best  men — men  who  have  fought  with  dis- 
tinguished bravery  in  the  foremost  ranks  of  the 
soldiers  of  the  Cross.  Of  this  number  Robert 
Moffat  is  one.  He  was  born  at  Ormiston,  near  Haddington, 
in  Haddingtonshire  or  East  Lothian,  in  1795.  The  county- 
is  distinguished  for  many  things.  Here  are  two  battle- 
fields— Dunbar,  Avhere  Cromwell  defeated  the  Covenanting 
army  in  1650,  and  Prestonpans,  where  the  Pretender 
defeated  the  Royal  troops  in  1745.  It  has  long  enjoyed,  in 
a  special  degree,  high  agricultural  fame.  It  produces  from 
year  to  year  abundant  crops  of  the  best  turnips  and  potatoes, 
rape  and  clover,  and  wheat.  It  has  also  given  birth  to 
some  eminent  men ;  not  the  least  eminent  is  the  veteran 
missionary  Avho  is  the  hero  of  our  pages. 

Though  Ormiston  was  his  birthplace,  his  youthful  years 
were  for  the  most  part  spent  at  Carron  Shore,  near  the 
great  Carron  Ironworks,  about  three  miles  to  the  east  of 
Ealkirk.  Here  his  father  held  an  appointment  in  the 
Customs.  The  boy  was  only  about  twelve  years  of  age  when 
a  ship's  captain,  who  was  a  friend  of  his  father,  endeavoured 


EARLY  LIFE  AND  MISSION  WORK,  23 

to  persuade  him  to  become  a  sailor,  and  for  this  purpose 
induced  him  to  try  a  taste  of  sea-life  in  a  coasting  vessel. 
The  first  trial  however  was  sufficient.  A  seafaring  occu- 
pation was  not  to  the  lad's  mind,  and  he  returned  to  school. 
When  the  time  came  for  him  to  leave  school,  he  felt  and 
expressed  a  strong  desire  to  study  botany  and  horticulture ; 
and  that  his  desire  might  be  gratified,  and  that  he  might 
be  trained  for  some  useful  calling  in  life,  he  was  apprenticed 
as  a  "Scotch  gardener."  Some  time  after  this  his  father 
was  removed  from  Carron  to  Inverkeithing,  in  the  county 
of  Fife ;  and  he,  going  with  the  family,  took  service  in  the 
Earl  of  Moray's  gardens  near  that  town.  After  remaining 
at  this  post  a  year  he  crossed  the  Tweed  (like  so  many  of 
his  calling,  for  "  Scotch  gardeners  '*  are  to  be  found  in  every 
county  of  England  and  Wales),  having  accepted  an  invita- 
tion to  a  situation  in  Cheshire.  In  this  manner  God  was 
ordering  the  plan  of  his  life.  He  was  preparing  the  way 
for  the  circumstances  which  were  to  rule  the  whole  current 
of  future  years,  and  He  was  preparing  the  man  for  some  of 
the  peculiarities  of  his  life-long  work.  MofFat  filled  this 
'Cheshire  situation  with  credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to 
his  employers  for  nearly  three  years. 

The  parents  of  the  Scotch  youth  feared  God.  The  father 
was  such  a  man  as  Robert  Burns  has  immortalised  in  his 
"  Cottar's  Saturday  Night ; "  and  his  consistent  example 
produced  on  his  son  its  natural  impression  and  result.  It 
was  the  mother,  however,  who  took  the  most  pains  in  im- 
parting instruction  to  the  lad  of  a  positively  religious  nature. 
Like  the  mother  of  Timothy,  and  tens  of  thousands  of 
Christian  mothers  since  her  day,  this  excellent  woman  had 
set  her  heart  upon  his  knowing  from  a  child  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures, believing  that  they  were  able  to  make  him  wise  unto 
salvation,  through  faith  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  She  used 
to  talk  to  him  about  the  progress  of  the  Gospel ;  and  as 
the  labours  and  hardships  of  the  Moravian  Brethren  in 


24  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D, 


Greenland  were  at  that  time  exciting  much  interest,  she 
endeavoured  to  inform  the  child's  mind  and  fire  his  heart 
with  the  story  of  their  adventurous  mission.  When  he  was 
about  to  leave  Scotland  for  Cheshire,  she  was  filled  with  the 
deepest  concern  for  his  spiritual  welfare.  She  thought  of 
him,  removed  from  the  religious  restraints  and  influences  of 
his  pious  home,  exposed  perhaps  to  many  temptations ;  and 
having  in  her  mind  the  truth  of  the  Psalmist's  words — it 
may  be  the  very  words  themselves — "Wherewithal  shall  a 
young  man  cleanse  his  way  1  by  taking  heed  thereto  accord- 
ing to  Thy  word,"  she  earnestly  besought  him  to  promise 
her,  before  going,  that  he  would  read  the  Bible  morning 
and  evening  every  day.  The  request  he  felt  to  be  one  of 
great  importance.  Conscious  of  his  own  weakness,  and 
feeling,  probably,  a  boyish  disinclination  to  commit  himself 
to  such  a  course  of  daily  action,  he  parried  the  question. 
At  the  last  moment  she  pressed  his  hand,  and  looking  him 
full  in  the  face,  imploringly  said — "  Robert,  you  loill  promise 
me  to  read  the  Bible,  more  particularly  the  New  Testament, 
and  most  especially  the  Gospels — those  are  the  words  of 
Christ  Himself,  and  there  you  cannot  possibly  go  astray." 
It  was  the  hour  when  all  his  nature  was  dissolved  in  filial 
affection,  and  he  found  it  impossible  to  refuse  a  request 
thus  made  by  one  whom  he  so  dearly  loved.  "Yes, 
mother,"  he  replied,  "  I  make  you  the  promise."  He  knew, 
as  he  afterwards  said  when  relating  the  circumstance,  that 
the  promise,  once  made,  must  be  kept ;  and  keep  it  he 
did,  with  sacred  honour, — not  reluctantly,  but  with  a  glad 
heart. 

It  was  Avhile  he  was  in  Cheshire  the  circumstances 
occurred  which  led  to  his  consecration  to  the  missionary 
cause.  One  calm  summer's  eveninc:  he  was  walkinir  in 
an  abstracted,  meditative  mood  from  High  Leigh  into 
Warrington,  when,  just  as  he  had  crossed  the  bridge,  a 
placard  caught  his  eye.     He  had  never  seen  one  of  the  kind 


EARLY  LIFE  AND  3{ISSI0N  WORK.  25 

before.     Two  lines  (it  may  have  been  partly  from  the  size 
of   the  type)  especially  arrested  his  attention ;  they  were 
"  London  Missionary  Society,"  and  "  Rev.  William  Roby  of 
Manchester."      These  two  lines   changed,   and   henceforth 
dominated,  his  whole  life.     He  could  not  move  from  the 
spot  or  withdraw  his  eyes  from  the  placard.      Passers-by 
may  have  thought  that  he  was  some  ignorant  youth  thirsting 
for  knowledge,  and  striving,  by  the  aid  of  these  large  letters, 
to  learn  to  read.     He  saw  that  the  bill  was  out  of  date,  the 
meeting  announced   having   been   already  held,    and   that 
therefore  he  could  receive  no  instruction  or  influence  from 
its  proceedings.     But  thoughts  had  been  awakened  in  his 
mind  that  could  no  longer  sleep,  and  he  had  already  started 
on  a  new  career.     The  sight  of  the  placard  alone  had,  to 
use  his  own  expression,   "  made  him  another  man ; "   and 
between  the  few  hours  of  his  coming  to  Warrington  and 
returning  to  Leigh,  "  an  entire  revolution  had  taken  place 
in  his  views  and  prospects."     The  stories  his  mother  had 
told  him  concerning  the  Moravian  missionaries,  amid  the 
snows  and  ice  of  Greenland,  were  recalled  to  his  memory. 
♦He  was  fired  with  a  noble  resolve  to  emulate  their  example, 
and  become  a  messenger  of  salvation  to  some  benighted  part 
of  the  world.  "^  "A  flattering  and  lucrative  prospect,  far 
beyond  what  such  a  youth  as  he  could  expect,"  lay  before 
him,   but  immediately  it  lost  all  its  attractions.      All  at 
once  it  dwindled  into  nothingness  and  vanished  out  of  sight. 
It  was  totally  eclipsed  by  the  bright  prospect  of  service 
among  the  perishing  heathen.     So  thoroughly  had  the  mis- 
sionary spirit  possessed  him,  that  it  ruled  all  his  thought  and 
feeling,  speech  and  action.    Friends  who  had  both  the  power 
and  wil]  to  serve  him,  who  were  ready  to  further  his  tem- 
poral interests,  when  they  heard  him  talk  about  renouncing 
every  prospect  in  this  country,  and  going  to  spend  his  life 
among  savage  tribes,  said  "his  brains  were  turned,"     "And 
so  they  were,"  he  said,  "but  the  right  way." 


2G  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

We  cannot  think  of  Moffat's  decision  for  a  missionary- 
life  without  reflecting  how  little  we  know  of  the  result  of 
our  most  ordinary  conduct.  Sometimes  those  actions  which 
seem  to  us  the  least  noteworthy  are  most  fruitful,  and  live 
with  mightiest  power.  "When  the  mother  of  Moses  placed 
him  in  a  cradle  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  she  could  have 
had  no  thought  of  the  consequences  that  would  accrue. 
When  Ruth  went  up  with  Naomi  from  Moah  to  Bethlehem, 
she  never  dreamt  of  the  subsequent  events  by  which  she 
v/as  to  become  ancestress  of  David,  and  so  of  "David's 
greater  son."  Our  Lord's  disciples  little  imagined  that 
when  they  asked  Him  to  teach  them  to  pray,  they  were 
providing  in  form,  as  well  as  in  substance,  for  the  liturgy  of 
the  church  through  all  time.  When  Mary  anointed  our 
Lord,  she  had  no  idea  that  it  would  be  told  for  a  memorial 
of  her  wheresoever  the  Gospel  should  be  preached,  and  would 
become  the  inspiration  and  the  measure  of  devotion  to  His 
cause.  So,  when  the  Warrington  billsticker  posted  that 
placard  announcing  Mr.  Koby's  visit  on  behalf  of  the 
mission  cause,  he  never  thought  that  it  would  be  a  chief 
agency  in  sending  out  to  Africa  an  angel  of  mercy,  whose 
Ions:  residence  amons:  its  heathen  tribes  would  be  one  of  its 
greatest  and  most  lasting  blessings.  Yet  so  it  was.  He 
who  worketh  all  things  according  to  the  counsel  of  His  own 
will  wrought  in  this  fashion,  S3  ordering  His  providence, 
and  so  influencing  His  servant's  heart. 

Other  steps  led  on.  Though  he  was  a  stranger  to  Mr. 
Koby,  and  only  a  youth,  he  resolved  to  go  to  Manchester, 
seek  him  out,  and  tell  him  all  that  was  in  his  heart. 
Arriving  in  Manchester,  he  found  the  minister's  house,  and 
with  some  trepidation  and  distrust  knocked  at  the  door. 
He  was  admitted,  and  the  interview  served  to  strengthen 
his  purpose  and  scatter  his  fears  to  the  winds.  He  sums 
up  all  that  took  place  in  these  few  but  expressive  words : — 
"  He  received  me  with  great  kindness,  listened  to  my  simple 


EARLY  LIFE  AND  MISSION  WORK.  27 

tale,    took  me  by  the  hand,   and   told  me  to  be  of  good 
courage." 

The  next  stage  was  reached  when  E-obert  Moffat,  acting 
under  Mr.  Roby's  advice,  offered  himself  to  the  Directors  of 
the  London  Missionary  Society.  From  that  point  the  pur- 
poses and  plans  of  Providence  ripened  fast.  After  hearing 
all  that  the  youth  had  to  say,  and  such  opinions  of  others  as 
were  offered  in  his  favour,  they  declared  their  satisfaction. 
The  question  now  came — a  most  proper  question  under  such 
circumstances — "Have  you  acquainted  your  parents  with 
your  purpose  % "  At  this  question  trembling  and  faintncss 
seized  him,  for  he  had  not  spoken  to  them  on  the  matter, 
and  he  was  afraid  they  might  withhold  their  consent.  Here 
again  his  fears  were  set  at  rest,  and  his  way  made  plain. 
Feeling  the  claims  of  God  upon  themselves,  and  appre- 
ciating the  spirit  and  motives  of  their  son,  they  replied, 
when  he  laid  the  matter  before  them — "  We  have  thoudit 
of  your  proposal  to  become  a  missionary ;  we  have  prayed 
over  it,  and  we  cannot  withhold  you  from  so  good  a  work." 
Thus  they  surrendered  their  son  to  Him  who  is  worthy  to 
♦  receive  our  best  gifts,  whose  love  to  us  is  so  great,  especially 
His  love  in  our  redemption  by  Jesus  Christ,  that  we  may 
well  say : — 

"  "Were  the  whole  realm  of  nature  mine, 
That  Avere  a  present  far  too  small, 
Love  so  amazing,  so  divine, 

Demands  my  soul,  my  life,  my  all." 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE  missionary's  DESIGNATION,  DEPARTURE,  AND  ENTRANCE 

ON  HIS  WORK. 


acfe- 


LL  the  preliminary  examinations  and  inquiries  having 
proved  satisfactory,  Robert  Moffat  was  accepted  by 
the  Directors  of  the  London  Missionary  Society  for 
service  in  Africa.  He  was  only  twenty  years  of 
-a  mere  stripling — but  he  was  a  mature  man  in  self- 
possession  and  in  Christian  faith ;  and  these  are  the  main 
qualities  required  in  missionary  enterprise. 

Early  in  October  1816,  he  was  publicly  designated  in 
Surrey  Chapel,  London,  to  his  work.  The  meeting  at 
Avhich  this  was  done  was  one  of  deep  and  unusual  interest. 
Nine  young  men  were  on  that  occasion  ordained  as  mis- 
sionaries. Four  of  the  nine  were  set  apart  for  the  South 
Sea  Islands ;  the  remaining  five  were  appointed  to  South 
Africa.  Without  under-estimating  the  work  or  usefulness 
of  any  of  these  honoured  men,  we  cannot  help  remarking 
that  one  in  each  of  these  divisions  has  proved  pre-eminently 
a  great  man — John  Williams,  "  Tlie  Apostle  of  Polynesia 
and  the  Martyr  of  Erromanga,"  and  Robert  Moffat.  In  the 
preface  to  his  well-known  volume,  "  Missionary  Labours  and 
Scenes  in  South  Africa,"  Moffat  makes  this  brief  allusion  to 


JENTRAKCE  ON  HIS  WORIC  ^D 


the  meeting : — "  Of  those  who  began  at  the  same  period 
with  himself  the  career  of  missionary  toil,  the  greater  number 
have  sunk  into  the  grave,  and  not  a  few  of  those  who 
followed  Ions:  after  have  also  been  gathered  to  their  fathers. 
He  is  especially  reminded  of  one,  much  honoured  and 
endeared,  whose  tragical  death,  of  all  others,  has  most 
affected  him.  John  Williams  and  he  were  accepted  by  the 
Directors  at  the  same  time,  and  designated  to  the  work  of 
God,  at  Surrey  Chapel,  on  the  same  occasion." 

On  the  last  day  of  October  1816,  Moffat  sailed  for  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  in  due  time  reached  the  place  of 
his  destination.  Like  the  pioneers  of  Protestant  missions  in 
India,  he  was  tried  by  a  discouraging  reception ;  but  he 
was  not  to  be  turned  aside  by  the  first  wind  of  opposition. 
He  had  devoted  himself  to  the  cause  without  wavering,  and 
he  entered  on  his  arduous  work  with  self-reliant  hope.  His 
first  battle  was  not  with  the  heathen,  however,  but  with  the 
British  governor,  who  was  loath  to  give  his  sanction  to 
missionaries  proceeding  outside  the  Cape  Colony,  as  it  was 
feared  that,  through  want  of  discretion,  they  would  get  the 
'tribes  of  the  interior  into  misunderstandings  and  broils. 
He  was  as  firm  in  his  representations  and  applications  as 
the  governor  was  in  his  refusals,  and  patiently  waited  his 
time.  The  post  of  resident  with  one  of  the  Caffre  chiefs 
was  offered  to  him,  where,  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  he 
might  have  acted  as  Government  agent  and  as  Christian 
instructor  at  the  same  time  ;  but  he  declined  to  be  fettered, 
as  he  felt  he  must  be  in  such  a  position,  and  sought  the 
untrammelled  liberty  of  a  missionary  of  the  Cross. 

The  missionary's  time  of  waiting  was  not  wasted.  While 
he  was  thus  detained  in  suspense  within  the  colonial  ter- 
ritory, he  took  up  his  abode  with  a  pious  Hollander,  who 
taught  him  the  Dutch  language.  By  this  means,  on  lea\  ing 
his  friend's  hospitable  roof,  he  was  qualified  to  preach  to  the 
Boers,   and  to  as  many   of  their  native   servants   as  had 


30  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D, 

acquired  a  smattering  of  this  imported  tongue.     So  he  made 
the  best  use  of  his  time  and  opportunities. 

At  length  he  was  permitted  to  go  up  the  country.  On 
his  journey  he  sometimes  encountered  rather  rough  treat- 
ment. On  the  whole,  however,  he  was  well  received. 
Many  years  afterwards,  writing  with  the  experience  of  this 
up-country  journey  in  mind,  he  says  : — "  The  Dutch  farmers, 
notwithstanding  all  that  has  been  said  against  them  by 
some  travellers,  are,  as  a  people,  exceedingly  hospitable  and 
kind  to  strangers.  Exceptions  there  are,  but  few,  and 
perhaps  more  rare  than  in  any  other  country  under  the 
sun."  On  one  occasion,  while  thus  going  out  into  the 
wilderness,  he  begged  of  one  of  these  men  a  night's  lodging. 
The  burly  farmer  roared  out  his  denial  like  an  enraged  lion, 
and  the  denial  itself  was  less  dreadful  to  the  young  stranger 
than  the  stern  and  rough  tones  in  which  it  was  conveyed. 
Nevertheless,  he  retained  his  self-possession  and  common- 
sense.  His  request,  negatived  by  the  husband,  he  made  to 
the  wife,  and  she,  having  the  heart  of  a  woman  and  a 
mother,  gave  the  homeless  stranger  a  very  different  recep- 
tion. Cheerfully  she  offered  board  and  lodging ;  but  she 
was  anxious  to  know  whither  he  was  bound,  and  what  was 
his  errand.  When  he  told  her  that  he  was  bound  for 
Orange  E-iver,  to  teach  the  rude  tribes  of  that  country  the 
way  of  salvation,  she  exclaimed  with  astonishment  and  un- 
belief— "  What !  to  Namaqua  Land,  that  hot  and  barbarous 
region ;  and  will  the  people  there  listen  to  the  Gospel,  do 
you  think,  or  understand  it  if  they  do  1 "  The  good  woman 
then  added  that  she  would  be  very  glad  if  he  would  preach 
in  the  evening  to  the  family.  The  evening  came,  and 
arrangements  were  made  for  the  service.  The  Boer  had  a 
hundred  Hottentots  in  his  employ,  but  these  did  not  at 
first  appear.  Looking  down  the  long  barn  in  which  the 
meeting  was  to  be  held,  the  young  missionary  could  only 
see,  beside  the  master  of  the  house  and  his  frau,  three  boys 


ENTRANCE  ON  HIS  WORK.  31 

and  two  girls.  "May  none  of  your  servants  come  in?"  he 
said  to  the  master.  "  Eh  !  "  roared  the  man ;  "  Hottentots  ! 
Are  you  come  to  preach  to  Hottentots  1  Go  to  the  moun- 
tains and  preach  to  the  baboons ;  or,  if  you  like,  I'll  fetch 
my  dogs,  and  you  may  preach  to  them  ! "  The  reply  sug- 
gested to  the  quick-witted  preacher  his  text.  He  had 
intended  taking  the  question,  "  How  shall  we  escape  if  we 
neglect  so  great  salvation  % "  but  taking  the  word  out  of  his 
gruff  entertainer's  lips,  he  read  as  his  text,  "  Truth,  Lord ; 
yet  the  dogs  eat  of  the  crumbs  which  fall  from  their 
master's  table."  Again  and  again  was  the  text  repeated 
with  emphasis,  and  every  fresh  repetition  seemed  to  drive 
the  nail  further  into  the  man's  conscience.  At  last  he 
cried,  "  No  more  of  that.  Wait  a  moment,  and  I'll  bring 
you  all  the  Hottentots  in  the  place."  He  was  as  good  as 
his  word.  Soon  the  barn  was  crowded,  the  sermon  was 
preached,  and  the  service  gave  evident  satisfaction  to  alL 
After  the  people  had  dispersed,  the  farmer,  in  much  subdued 
and  more  pleasant  tones,  said  to  Moffat,  "  Who  hardened 
your  hammer  to  deal  my  head  such  a  blow"?  I'll  never 
,object  to  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  to  Hottentots  again.'* 
As  Moffat  was  on  his  way  to  the  Orange  River,  the 
nearer  he  approached  the  boundaries  of  the  colony  the  more 
did  the  farmers  seek  to  terrify  him  with  their  predictions  as 
to  the  unfavourable  reception  he  would  get.  Africaner,  the 
powerful  chief,  who  had  made  his  name  a  terror  by  his 
maraudings  and  murders,  was  especially  represented  as  a 
man  to  be  feared.  On  all  hands  the  young  missionary  was 
warned  against  approaching  him.  Referring  to  the  dread 
expressed,  he  says  : — "  One  said  he  (Africaner)  would  set  me 
up  as  a  mark  for  his  boys  to  shoot  at ;  and  another,  that  he 
would  strip  off  my  skin  and  make  a  drum  of  it  to  dance  to ; 
another  most  consoling  prediction  was,  that  he  would  make 
a  drinking-cup  of  my  skull.  I  believe  they  were  serious, 
and  especially  a  kind  motherly  lady,  who,  wiping  the  tear 


32  LIPE  OP  EOBEKI"  M0PFA1\  b.D, 

from  lier  eye,  bade  me  farewell,  saying,  '  Had  you  been  an 
old  man  it  would  have  been  nothing,  for  you  would  soon 
have  died,  whether  or  no ;  but  you  are  young,  and  going  to 
become  a  prey  to  that  monster,' " 

In  spite  of  these  prophecies  of  evil  Moffat  went  on — over 
desert  plains,  where  sometimes  the  oxen  would  sink  down 
in  the  sand  from  sheer  fatigue,  and  where  the  want  of  water 
was  a  terrible  infliction ;  and  over  rocky  mountains,  where 
the  exposure  to  the  scorching  heat  of  the  hot  season  was 
like  to  induce  fever  every  moment.     The  following  descrip- 
tion of  passages  in  the  journey  is  from  his  own  hand  : — 
"  The  task  of  driving  the  loose  cattle  was  not  an  easy  one, 
for  frequently  the  oxen  would  take  one  course,  the  sheep 
another,  and  the  horses  a  third.     It  required  no  little  per- 
severance as  well  as  courage,  when  sometimes  the  hyena  would 
approach  with  his  unearthly  howl,  and  set  the  poor  timid 
sheep  to  their  heels ;  and  the  missionary,  dreading  the  loss 
of  his  mutton,  in  his  haste  gets  his  legs  lacerated  by  one 
bush,  and  his  face  scratched  by  another,  now  tumbles  pros- 
trate over  an  ant-hill,  and  then  headlong  into  the  large  hole 
of  a  wild  boar.     He  frequently  arrives  at  the  halting-place 
long  after  the  waggons,  when  the  keen  eye  of  the  native 
waggon-driver   surveys  the   cattle,   and   announces   to   the 
breathless  and  thirsty  missionary  that  he  has  lost  some  of 
his   charge.     He  sits  down  by  the   fire,  which   is   always 
behind  a  bush,  if  such  is  to  be  found,  tells  his  exploits, 
looks  at  his  wounds,  and  so  ends  his  day's  labours  with  a 
sound  sleep.      Next  morning  he  gets  up  early  to  seek  tlie 
strayed,  and  if  it  happen  to  be  a  sheep  he  is  almost  sure  to 
find  only  the  bones,  the  hyena  having  made  a  repast  on  the 
rest.     We  had  troubles  of  another  kind,  and  such  as  we  did 
not  expect  in  so  dry  and  thirsty  a  land.      Rain  had  fallen 
soine  time  previous  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Kamies  Berg ; 
the  loose  soil,  abounding  in  limy  particles,  had  become  so 
saturated  tliat  frequently,  as  the  oxen  and  waggons  went 


ENTRANCE  ON  HIS  WORK.  33 

along  the  road,  they  would  suddenly  sink  into  a  mire,  from 
which  they  were  extricated  with  difficulty,  being  obliged  to 
unload  the  waggons  and  drag  them  out  backwards." 

He  describes  in  another  plaee  how  they  went  through  a 
comparatively  trackless  desert : — "Having  travelled  nearly 
the  whole  night  through  deep  sand,  the  oxen  began  to  lie 
down  in  the  yoke  from  fatigue,  obliging  us  to  halt  before 
reaching  water.  The  next  day  we  pursued  our  course,  and 
on  arriving  at  the  place  where  we  had  hoped  to  find  water 
we  were  disappointed.  As  it  appeared  evident  that  if  we 
continued  the  same  route  we  must  perish  from  thirst,  at  the 
suggestion  of  my  guide  we  turned  northward,  over  a  dreary, 
trackless,  sandy  waste,  without  one  green  blade  of  grass, 
and  scarcely  a  bush  on  which  the  wearied  eye  could  rest. 
Becoming  dark,  the  oxen  unable  to  proceed,  ourselves  ex- 
hausted with  dreadful  thirst  and  fatigue,  we  stretched  our 
wearied  limbs  on  sand  still  warm  from  the  noontide  heat, 
being  the  hot  season  of  the  year.  Thirst  aroused  us  at  an 
early  hour,  and  finding  the  oxen  incapable  of  moving  the 
waggon  one  inch,  we  took  a  spade  and,  with  the  oxen,  pro- 
ceeded to  a  hollow  in  a  neighbouring  mountain.  There  we 
laboured  for  a  long  time  digging  an  immense  hole  in  the 
sand,  whence  we  obtained  a  scanty  supply,  exactly  resembling 
the  old  bilge-water  of  a  ship,  but  which  was  drunk  with  an 
avidity  which  no  pen  can  describe.  Hours  were  occupied 
in  incessant  labour  to  obtain  a  sufficiency  for  the  oxen, 
which,  by  the  time  all  had  partaken,  were  ready  for  a  second 
draught ;  while  some,  from  the  depth  of  the  hole  and  the 
loose  sand,  got  scarcely  any.  We  filled  the  small  vessels 
which  we  had  brought,  and  returned  to  the  waggon  over  a 
plain  glowing  with  a  meridian  sun :  the  sand  being  so  hot 
it  was  distressingly  painful  to  walk.  The  oxen  ran  frantic 
till  they  came  to  a  place  indurated  with  little  sand.  Here 
they  stood  together  to  cool  their  burning  hoofs  in  the  shade 
of  their  own  bodies,  those  on  the  outside  always  trying  to 

3 


34  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

get  into  the  centre.  Three  days  T  remained  with  ray 
waggon-driver  on  this  burning  plain,  with  scarcely  a  breath 
of  wind,  and  what  there  was  felt  as  if  coming  from  the 
mouth  of  an  oven.  We  had  only  tufts  of  dry  grass  to  make 
a  small  fire,  or  rather  flame,  and  little  was  needful,  for  we 
had  scarcely  any  food  to  prepare.  We  saw  ho  human  being, 
although  we  had  an  extensive  prospect ;  not  a  single  antelope 
or  beast  of  prey  made  its  appearance,  but  in  the  dead  of  the 
night  we  sometimes  heard  the  distant  roar  of  the  lion  on 
the  mountain,  where  we  had  to  go  twice  a-day  for  our 
nauseous  but  grateful  beverage." 

As  the  missionary  came  near  the  end  of  his  journey 
fresh  difticulties  presented  themselves.  The  river  had  to  be 
crossed,  and  this  was  how  it  was  done  : — "  The  waggon  and 
its  contents  were  swam  over  piecemeal  on  a  fragile  raft  of 
dry  willow  logs,  about  six  feet  long,  and  from  four  to  six 
inches  in  diameter,  fastened  together  with  the  inner  bark  of 
the  mimosas,  which  stud  the  banks  of  the  river,  which  is  at 
this  place  five  hundred  yards  wide,  rocky,  with  a  rapid  cur- 
rent. The  rafts  are  carried  a  great  distance  down  by  the 
stream,  taken  to  pieces  every  time  of  crossing,  each  man 
swimming  back  with  a  log.  When,  after  some  days'  labour, 
all  was  conveyed  to  the  opposite  shore,  the  last  raft  was  pre- 
pared for  me,  on  which  I  was  requested  to  place  myself  and 
hold  fast.  I  confess,  though  a  swimmer,  I  did  not  like  the 
voyage,  independently  of  not  wishing  to  give  them  the 
trouble  of  another  laborious  crossing.  I  withdrew  along 
the  woody  bank,  and  plunged  into  the  river,  leaving  my 
clothes  to  be  conveyed  over.  As  soon  as  they  saw  me 
approaching  the  middle  of  the  current,  terrified  lest  evil 
should  befall  me,  some  of  the  most  expert  swimmers  plunged 
in,  and  laboured  hard  to  overtake  me,  but  in  vain  ',  and 
when  I  reached  the  northern  bank  an  individual  came  up 
to  me,  almost  out  of  breath,  and  asked,  'Were  you  born 
in  the  great  sea  water  % ' "     After  the  whole  party  had  safely 


ENTRANCE  ON  HIS  WORK.  35 

crossed,  great  pressure  was  brought  to  bear  on  the  missionary 
to  induce  him  to  settle  at  a  station  called  Warm  Bath. 
The  native  teacher  there  and  his  people  beset  the  waggon, 
reasoning,  pleading,  and  praying  that  he  would  go  with 
them.  The  women  came  like  a  regiment,  and  declared  that 
if  he  left  them  he  must  take  the  waggon  over  their  bodies, 
for  they  would  lie  down  before  the  wheels.  It  was  in  vain 
he  pleaded  the  necessity  of  proceeding  first  to  Africaner,  to 
whom  specially  he  had  been  sent.  At  last  a  party  of 
Africaner's  people,  with  three  of  his  brethren,  having  heard 
of  Moffat's  arrival,  were  seen  approaching  in  the  distance. 
This  ended  the  painful  scene ;  for,  awed  by  their  presence, 
Magerman,  the  teacher,  and  his  people  retired  in  grief  and 
tears. 


CHAPTER  V. 


EESIDENCE  AT  AFRICANER'S  KRAAL. 


HE  post  of  duty  which  Moffat  was  appointed  to  occupy 
was  on  the  north-west  border  of  the  colony,  beyond 
the  Orange  River,  where  a  Hottentot  family,  known 
as  the  Africaners,  had  gathered  a  body  of  marauders 
about  them  and  fixed  their  abode.  Their  chief,  the  eldest  of 
the  brothers,  had,  from  his  shrewdness  and  prowess,  obtained 
the  reins  of  the  government  of  his  tribe  at  an  early  age. 
He  was  now  outlawed  from  the  colony  for  the  cold-blooded 
murder  of  a  farmer  named  Pienaar,  who  was  shot  down  in 
the  presence  of  his  wife  and  family.  Commandos  had  gone 
out  against  him  ;  rewards  were  offered  for  his  capture,  but 
lie  defied  the  Colonial  Government  and  the  farmers,  and 
dared  them  to  approach  his  territories.  Their  efforts  to 
take  him  only  roused  himself  and  his  followers  to  further 
outrages  on  the  scattered  residents  of  the  border,  until  the 
name  of  Africaner  became  a  terror  throughout  the  Namaqua 
Land  frontier. 

On  the  2Gth  of  January  1818  Moffat  reached  Africaner's 
kraal.  His  reception  was  not  cordial.  The  chief  kept  him 
waiting  for  an  hour  before  he  came  to  welcome  him.  At 
length  he  made  his  appearance,  but  liis  manner  was  cool 


RESIDENCE  AT  AFRICANER'S  KRAAL.       37 

and  reserved.  After  the  customary  salutation,  he  asked  if 
Moffat  was  the  missionary  sent  out  from  England.  On 
receiving  an  affirmative  reply,  he  expressed  his  pleasure, 
and  said  that  he  hoped  himself  and  his  people  might  long 
enjoy  the  missionary's  residence  in  their  country.  He  then 
ordered  a  number  of  women  to  build  a  house  for  the  new 
visitor.  Immediately  they  formed  a  circle,  fixed  a  number 
of  long  slender  poles,  tied  them  down  in  a  hemispheric  form, 
covered  them  with  native  mats,  and  had  the  house  finished 
and  ready  for  habitation  in  less  than  an  hour.  For  nearly 
six  months  Moffat  lived  in  this  hut.  It  was  frequently 
shaken  and  loosened  by  storms,  and  needed  repairs.  At 
the  best  it  was  an  uncomfortable  dwelling-place.  He  thus 
describes  it : — "  When  the  sun  shone,  it  was  unbearably 
hot ;  when  the  rain  fell,  I  came  in  for  a  share  of  it ;  when 
the  wind  blew,  I  had  frequently  to  decamp  to  escape  the 
dust ;  and  in  addition  to  these  little  inconveniences,  any 
hungry  cur  of  a  dog  that  wished  a  night's  lodgings  would 
force  itself  through  the  frail  wall,  and  not  unfrequently 
deprive  me  of  my  anticipated  meal  for  the  coming  day  ;  and 
,1  have  more  than  once  found  a  serpent  coiled  up  in  a 
corner.  Nor  Avere  these  all  the  contingencies  of  such  a 
dwelling,  for  as  the  cattle  belonging  to  the  village  had  no 
fold,  but  strolled  about,  I  have  been  compelled  to  start  up 
from  a  sound  sleep,  and  try  to  defend  myself  and  my  dwel- 
ling from  being  crushed  to  pieces  by  the  rage  of  two  bulls, 
which  had  met  to  fight  a  nocturnal  duel." 

During  the  stillness  of  the  first  night's  repose  in  this  new 
habitation  the  young  missionary  reviewed  his  past  history  ; 
he  thought  of  the  home  and  friends  he  had  left,  perhaps 
for  ever ;  he  reflected  that  the  vast  ocean  rolled  between 
them  and  the  present  dreary  land  to  which  he  had  come ; 
he  thought  of  the  goodness  and  grace  of  God  towards  him  in 
bygone  years ;  and  again  and  again  he  involuntarily  said  or 
sung  the  grateful  lines  of  Robinson  : — ^ 


38  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

*  *  Here  I  raise  my  Ebcnezer, 
Hither  by  Thy  help  I'm  come." 

An  unpleasant  feeling,  of  the  existence  of  which  MofTat 
had  no  previous  knowledge,  existed  between  Mr.  Ebner  the 
missionary  whom  he  had  joined,  and  who  had  resided  at  the 
station  some  time,  and  the  people.  This  hostility  culmin- 
ated in  a  quarrel  with  one  of  Africaner's  brothers,  and  in 
Mr.  Ebner's  determination  to  leave  the  place  for  Warm 
Bath,  where  the  chief  Bondlezwarts  had  invited  him  to 
labour.  Ebner's  departure  left  Moffat  alone  with  a  people 
suspicious  in  the  extreme,  and  jealous  of  their  rights,  which 
they  had  obtained  by  hard  and  bloody  conflict.  He  felt  his 
isolated  condition  keenly.  "  I  had  no  friend  or  brother," 
he  writes,  "■  with  whom  I  could  participate  in  the  communion 
of  saints, — none  to  whom  I  could  look  for  counsel  and 
advice;  a  barren  country;  a  small  salary  of  £25  per 
annum ;  no  grain,  and  consequently  no  bread,  and  no  pros- 
pect of  getting  any,  from  the  want  of  water  to  cultivate  the 
ground  ;  and  destitute  of  all  means  of  sending  to  the 
colony." 

But  this  servant  of  God  knew  the  secret  of  strensjth  and 
peace.  Mark  his  testimony  : — "  These  circumstances  led  to 
great  searchings  of  heart,  to  see  if  I  had  hitherto  arrived  at 
doing  and  suffering  the  will  of  Him  in  whose  service  I  had 
embarked.  Satisfied  that  I  had  not  run  unsent,  and  havins: 
in  the  intricate  and  sometimes  obscure  course  I  had  come 
heard  the  still  small  voice  saying,  '  This  is  the  way,  walk  yc 
in  it,'  I  was  wont  to  pour  out  my  soul  among  the  granite 
rocks  surrounding  this  station,  now  in  sorrow  and  then  in 
joy ;  and  more  than  once  I  took  my  violin  (once  belonging 
to  Christian  Albrecht),  and  reclining  on  one  of  the  huge 
masses,  have,  in  the  stillness  of  the  evening,  played  and 
sung  the  well-known  hymn,  a  favourite  with  my  mother ; — 

'Awake,  my  soul,  in  joyful  lays, 
To  sing  the  great  Redeemer's  praise,'  "  &c. 


RESIDENCE  AT  AFRICANERS  KRAAL.       39 

Apart  from  his  confidence  in  God,  Moffat's  natural 
qualities  fitted  him  in  the  highest  degree  for  the  perilous 
and  difficult  service  in  which  he  was  now  engaged.  He 
displayed  in  a  remarkable  manner  promptitude,  shrewdness, 
firmness,  and  tact.  If  you  study  the  portraits  of  him  as 
he  looked  when  he  was  in  the  maturity  and  fulness  of  his 
strength,  you  see  in  his  eye  and  in  his  whole  bearing  that 
he  was  born  to  manage  men.  Had  he  continued  in  his 
secular  calling  he  would  no  doubt  have  been  a  most  suc- 
cessful man  of  business.  The  grace  of  God  consecrated 
his  natural  faculties,  and  so  he  became  an  able  and  a 
successful  missionary. 

His  fitness  for  the  work  which  he  had  undertaken  was 
thoroughly  tested  at  the  very  outset ;  but  his  wisdom  was 
equal  to  every  emergency,  and  his  chivalrous  devotion  rose 
as  hardships  and  difficulties  increased.  In  spite  of  the 
barrenness  of  the  country,  the  want  of  water,  the  thinness  of 
the  population,  the  dangers  that  surrounded  him,  he  began 
his  work.  He  established  stated  services  for  worship  and 
instruction,  which,  according  to  the  missionary  custom  of 
that  period,  were  public  worship  morning  and  evening,  and 
school  for  three  or  four  hours  during  the  day.  He  travelled 
among  the  surrounding  villages,  speaking  to  the  people 
about  Christ  and  His  great  salvation,  wherever  and  when- 
ever an  opportunity  offered.  His  food  was  milk  and  flesh ; 
living  for  ^veeks  together  on  one,  and  then  on  the  other, 
and  then  for  a  while  on  both,  often  having  recourse  to  a 
"fasting  girdle." 

The  chief  Africaner  himself  was  one  of  Moffat's  most 
regular  and  attentive  hearers.  Already  he  had  manifested 
some  interest  in  religion,  hence  the  missionary's  visit  to  his 
kraal.  There  had  been,  however,  much  vacillation  in  his 
conduct,  and  for  some  time  past  he  had  been  in  a  doubtful 
state.  Now  he  attended  the  services  with  regularity,  and 
the  rise  of  to-morrow's  sun  might  have  been  as  well  doubted 


40  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

as  his  attendance  on  the  appointed  means  of  grace.  One  of 
his  brothers,  who  was  a  terror  to  most  of  his  neighbours, 
and  a  fearful  example  of  wickedness,  became  also  a  greatly 
altered  man,  and  a  steady  and  unwavering  friend  to  the 
missionary.  He  was  the  only  person  of  importance  who 
had  two  wives,  and  resisted  all  persuasion  to  give  either  of 
them  up,  though  he  admitted  that  a  man  with  two  wives 
was  not  to  be  envied.  "  He  is  often  in  an  uproar,"  he 
added,  "and  when  they  quarrel  he  does  not  know  whose 
part  to  take."  Two  other  brothers  were  zealous  assistants 
in  the  mission  work  of  the  station,  and  truly  Christian 
men. 

So  Moffat  laboured  for  years.  Often  it  seemed  to  him  as 
if  he  was  beating  the  air,  and  his  soul  was  heavy  and  sank 
within  him.  It  was  well  that  he  had  outward  as  v/cll  as 
inward  resources.  He  could  put  his  hand  to  anything; 
this  helped  him  to  pass  away  many  hours  in  a  pleasant  and 
useful  manner  that  otherwise  would  have  proved  very  long 
and  wearisome.  It  also  secured  him  respect  from  the 
Namaqua  men  more  than  his  learning.  "My  dear  old 
mother,"  he  tells  us  himself,  "  to  keep  me  out  of  mischief 
in  the  long  winter  evenings,  taught  me  to  knit  and  sew. 
When  I  would  tell  her  I  meant  to  be  a  man,  she  would 
say,  *  Lad,  ye  dinna  ken  whaur  your  lot  may  be  cast.'  She 
was  right,  for  I  have  often  had  occasion  to  use  the  needle 
since."  He  was  not  seldom  in  sore  straits  for  food,  but 
he  only  found  more  time  for  prayer.  He  travelled,  and 
taught,  and  preached  without  faltering,  and  after  many 
days  the  blessing  came. 


CHAPTER   YI. 


TRAVELLING    IN    THE    INTERIOR. 


^i^FTER  some  stay  at  Africaner's  station  Moffat  dis- 
covered that  the  general  character  of  the  place  and 
the  condition  of  the  people  were  such  that  he  never 
could  make  it  a  permanent  residence.  Having 
come  to  this  conclusion,  he  resolved  on  a  journey  of  explor- 
ation in  a  northerly  direction,  that  he  might  examine  a 
country  near  Damara  Land,  which  was  said  to  abound  with 
fountains  of  water.  But  how  was  such  a  resolution  to  be 
carried  into  effect  1  He  had  only  one  waggon,  and  that  was 
in  a  broken-down  state.  There  were  neither  carpenters  nor 
;5miths  on  the  station  to  repair  the  vehicle ;  and  the  unford- 
ableness  of  the  Orange  River  at  the  time,  and  the  ricketty 
condition  of  the  waggon,  rendered  it  impossible  to  convey  it 
to  Pella,  where  it  might  have  been  repaired. 

There  was  only  one  course,  and  that  was  for  the  mis- 
sionary to  try  and  repair  it  himself.  He  had  seen  the  smiths 
at  work  in  their  shops  at  Cape  Town,  and  had  picked  up  a 
few  lessons,  which  he  now  brought  to  bear  upon  the  necessi- 
ties of  the  case.  His  first  effort  to  weld  some  iron  was  un- 
successful, owing  to  the  imperfection  of  the  native  bellows 
employed;   but  setting   hjg  wits  to  work,   he   soon   made 


42  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

improvements  in  tlie  instrument,  and  had  all  the  people 
around  him  to  witness  the  success  of  his  operations.  Finish- 
ing what  was  necessary  for  the  waggon,  he  then  repaired 
the  gun-locks,  which  were  as  essential  for  the  comfort  and 
success  of  the  journey  as  the  waggon.  Everything  being  in 
readiness,  he  started  with  an  exploring  party  of  thirty  men. 
Although  at  first  the  formidable  appearance  of  so  large  a 
party  was  not  to  Moffat's  mind,  yet  he  afterwards  found 
that  it  was  none  too  large.  Africaner  had  suggested  that  a 
large  party  would  have  the  tendency  of  preventing  any 
attack,  and  in  this  it  turned  out  he  was  perfectly  right. 

The  following  specimen  of  African  travel  will  be  interesting 
to  our  readers  : — "  The  country  over  which  we  passed  was 
sterile  in  the  extreme,  sandy  from  the  abundance  of  granite. 
Ironstone  was  also  to  be  found,  and  occasionally  indications 
of  copper.  Slaty  formations  were  also  to  be  met  with,  and 
much  quartz,  filling  up  large  fissures  occasioned  by  former 
convulsions,  and  the  hills  in  some  places  presenting  a  mass 
of  confusion ;  the  strata  bending  and  dipping  from  the  per- 
pendicular to  the  horizontal,  and  in  others  extending  in  a 
straight  line  from  one  hill  to  another.  Native  iron,  in  a 
very  pure  state,  is  procured  in  these  regions ;  and  from  the 
account  given  by  the  natives,  I  should  suppose  some  of  it  is 
meteoric.  The  plains  are  invariably  sand}'",  and  there  are 
even  hills  of  pure  sand.  I  also  found  near  some  of  the 
mountains  large  pieces  of  trees  in  a  fossil  state.  Zebras 
abounded,  and  wild  asses,  though  less  numerous  than  the 
former.  Giraffes  were  frequently  met  with,  sometimes  thirty 
or  forty  together.  Elks,  koodoos,  and  the  smaller  species 
of  antelopes  were  also  in  great  numbers.  The  rhinoceros 
(the  kenengyane,  or  black  chukwm  of  tlie  Bechuanas)  is  also 
to  be  found,  but  scarce.  Buffaloes  had  nearly  disappeared, 
at  least  in  the  region  I  visited.  We  had  a  tolerable  supply, 
chiefly  of  the  flesh  of  zebras  and  giraffes ;  the  latter,  when 
fat,  was  preferred,  though  nothing  came  amiss  to  hungry 


TEA  YELLING  IN  THE  INTERIOR.  43 

travellers.  When  one  of  the  larger  animals  was  shot,  we 
generally  remained  a  day  to  cut  the  meat  up  into  thin 
pieces,  which,  spread  on  the  bushes,  sbon  dried.  The  best 
parts  were  always  eaten  first ;  and  when  pressed  with 
hunger,  recourse  was  had  to  the  leaner  portions,  which  had 
been  stowed  away  in  the  waggon ;  and  to  make  it  palat- 
able (for  it  much  resembles  a  piece  of  sole  leather)  it 
was  necessary  to  put  it  under  the  hot  ashes,  and  then 
beat  it  between  two  stones  till  the  fibres  were  loosened ; 
and  then  it  required  very  hard  chewing :  and  many,  a  time 
have  I  risen  from  a  meal  with  my  jaw-bone  so  sore  I  felt 
no  inclination  to  speak.  Meat  prepared  in  this  way,  or 
fresh,  with  a  draught  of  water,  was  our  usual  fare.  I  had  a 
small  quantity  of  coffee  with  me,  which,  as  long  as  it  lasted, 
I  found  very  refreshing.  Some  may  think  that  this  mode 
of  life  was  a  great  sacrifice,  but  habit  makes  it  much  less  so 
than  they  suppose.  It  is  true  I  did  feel  it  a  sacrifice  to 
have  nothing  at  all  to  eat,  and  to  bind  the  stomach  with  a 
thong  to  prevent  the  gnawing  of  hunger,  and,  under  these 
circumstances,  to  break  the  bread  of  eternal  life  to  the 
perishing  heathen.  Water  was  in  general  very  scarce; 
sometimes  in  small  pools,  stagnant,  and  with  a  green  froth ; 
and  more  than  once  we  had  to  dispute  with  lions  the 
possession  of  a  pool.  One  day  our  guide  (for  it  was  a 
country  without  roads)  led  us  towards  a  ravine  which  pre- 
sented an  animated  appearance,  the  sides  of  the  hills  beinf>' 
covered  with  a  lovely  green,  but  on  our  reaching  them, 
scarcely  anything  was  to  be  seen  but  a  species  of  euphorbia, 
useless  either  to  man  or  beast,  and  through  which  we  with 
difiiculty  made  our  way.  Being  hot,  and  the  oxen  worn  out, 
we  halted ;  and  some  of  the  men  having  been  successful  in 
finding  honey  in  the  fissures  of  the  rocks,  we  ate  with  no 
little  relish,  thinking  ourselves  fortunate,  for  food  was 
scarce.  Shortly  after,  an  individual  complained  that  his 
throat  was  becoming  very  hot ;  then  a  second,  then  a  third, 


44  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


till  all  who  had  eaten  felt  as  though  their  throats  were  on 
fire.  A  native  coming  up,  and  seeing  our  hands  and  faces 
besmeared  with  honey,  with  the  greatest  simplicity  said  : 
'  You  had  better  not  eat  the  honey  of  this  vale ;  do  you  not 
see  the  poison  bushes  (euphorbia),  from  the  flowers  of  which 
the  bees  extract  the  honey  and  the  poison  too  1 '  Every  one 
had  recourse  to  the  little  water  that  remained  in  the  vessels, 
for  the  inward  heat  was  terrible ;  and  the  water,  instead  of 
allaying,  only  increased  the  pain.  No  serious  consequences 
followed,  but  it  was  several  days  before  we  got  rid  of  a  most 
unpleasant  sensation  in  the  head  as  well  as  the  throat." 

On  their  journey  the  party  occasionally  came  to  a  Nam- 
aqua  village :  in  such  cases  they  always  halted  for  a  day  or 
two,  so  that  the  people  might  hear  the  Gospel  of  salvation. 
They  continued  their  journey  till  they  reached  some  of  the 
branches  of  the  Fish  River,  where  they  were  brought  to  a 
stand.  The  inhabitants  of  the  district  were  suspicious  of 
their  visit,  and  it  was  not  quite  certain  whether  they  would 
flee  or  endeavour  to  oppose  their  progress.  Probably  if  the 
travelling  party  had  been  smaller  the  latter  course  would 
have  been  adopted.  Notwithstanding  their  suspicions,  they 
listened  with  great  attention  to  the  Gospel  message.  Here 
they  met  a  native  sorcerer,  who,  the  previous  night,  had 
made  the  people  believe  that  he  had  entered  into  a  lion 
which  had  been  killing  their  cattle.  Moffat  coaxed  him 
into  conversation  by  giving  him  a  piece  of  tobacco,  but  he 
declined  to  suffer  his  powers  to  be  tested,  adding  that 
Moffat  was  a  white  sorcerer  himself,  from  the  strange 
doctrines  he  taught. 

At  Africaner's  suggestion,  the  party,  instead  of  proceeding 
further,  determined  to  return.  The  report  received  of  the 
country  further  north  was  not  encouraging,  and  there  was 
some  risk  of  resistance,  and  consequently  the  shedding  of 
blood.  Or  their  homeward  route  they  halted  at  a  spot 
where  a  strange  scene  once  occurred,  and  which  was  described 


Ma  veiling  in  the  iNTEition.        45 


by  an  individual  who  witnessed  it  when  a  boy.  Moftat  thus 
refers  to  it : — "  Near  a  very  small  fountain,  which  was 
shewn  to  me,  stood  a  camel-thorn-tree  (Acacia  Giraffe).  It 
was  a  stiff  tree,  about  twelve  feet  high,  with  a  flat,  bushy 
top.  Many  years  before,  the  relater,  then  a  boy,  was  return- 
ing to  his  village,  and  having  turned  aside  to  the  fountain 
for  a  drink,  lay  down  on  the  bank  and  fell  asleep.  Being 
awoke  by  the  piercing  rays  of  the^  sun,  he  saw,  through  the 
bush  behind  which  he  lay,  a  giraffe  browsing  at  ease  on  the 
tender  shoots  of  the  tree,  and  to  his  horror  a  lion,  creeping 
like  a  cat  only  a  dozen  yards  from  him,  preparing  to  pounce 
on  his  prey.  The  lion  eyed  the  giraffe  for  a  few  moments, 
his  body  gave  a  shake,  and  he  bounded  into  the  air  to  seize 
the  head  of  the  animal,  which  instantly  turned  his  stately 
neck,  and  the  lion  missing  his  grasp,  fell  on  his  back  in  the 
centre  of  the  mass  of  thorns,  like  spikes,  and  the  giraffe 
bounded  over  the  plain.  The  boy  instantly  followed  the 
example,  expecting,  as  a  matter  of  course,  that  the  enraged 
lion  would  soon  find  his  way  to  the  earth.  Some  time 
afterwards  the  people  of  the  village,  who  seldom  visited  that 
spot,  saw  the  eagles  hovering  in  the  air,  and  as  it  is  almost 
always  a  certain  sign  that  the  lion  has  killed  game  or  some 
animal  is  lying  dead,  they  went  to  the  place  and  sought  in 
vain,  til],  coming  under  the  lee  of  the  tree,  their  olfactory 
nef'ves  directed  them  to  where  the  lion  lay  dead  in  his 
thorny  bed.  I  still  found  some  of  his  bones  under  the  tree, 
and  hair  on  its  branches,  to  convince  me  of  what  I  scarcely 
could  have  credited.  The  lion  will  sometimes  manage  to 
mount  the  back  of  a  giraffe,  and,  fixing  his  sharp  claws  into 
each  shoulder,  gnaw  away  till  he  reaches  the  vertebrae  of 
the  neck,  when  both  fall ;  and  oftimes  the  lion  is  lamed  for 
his  trouble.  If  the  giraffe  happens  to  be  very  strong,  he 
succeeds  in  bringing  his  rider  to  the  ground.  Among  those 
that  we  shot  on  our  journey,  the  healed  wounds  of  the  lion's 
claws  on  the  shoulder,  and  marks  of  his  teeth  on  the  back  of 


46  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

the  neck,  gave  us  ocular  demonstration  that  two  of  them  had 
carried  the  monarch  of  the  forest  on  their  backs,  and  yet 
came  off  triumphant." 

They  endeavoured  to  return  by  a  shorter  route  farther  to 
the  east,  but  nearly  paid  heavily  for  their  haste,  for  they 
found  themselves  in  a  plain  of  deep  sand,  and  thought  at 
one  time  they  would  have  to  abandon  their  waggon.  Every 
one  went  in  search  of  water,  but  none  could  be  found  ;  and 
though  they  met  with  some  water-melons,  they  were  bitter 
as  gall.  When  at  length  a  number  of  them  found  water 
and  drank  some,  their  thirst  became  excessive.  The  wdiole 
party  hastened  to  the  river,  and  a  most  exciting  scene 
ensued.  All  the  people,  without  exception,  rushed  down  the 
bank  ;  some  kept  their  feet,  others  rolled,  and  some  tumbled 
headlong  into  the  muddy  pool,  or  deep  bed  at  the  top  of  the 
river.  It  was  well  that  the  water  was  warmed  by  the 
scorching  rays  of  the  sun ;  for  instances  have  been  known  of 
thirsty  travellers  drinking  largely  in  their  heated  state,  and 
dying  at  once  with  their  faces  in  the  water.  This  journey 
to  the  north  and  back  decided  Moffat  to  remain  for  the 
present  at  Africaner's  station. 

He  now  resumed  on  a  larger  scale  his  itinerating  expedi- 
tions. Riding  on  the  back  of  an  ox  with  horns  was  both  awk- 
ward and  dangerou  s.  Cases  have  occurred  of  persons  so  riding 
having  been  thrown  forward  on  the  horns  and  killed.  Yet 
this  was  at  times  the  only  mode  of  travel.  These  preaching 
journeys  were  often  full  of  privations  as  well  as  dangers. 
Owing  to  the  migratory  habits  of  the  people  in  search  of 
water  and  grass,  they  could  not  always  be  found.  Starting 
in  the  morning,  having  breakfasted  on  a  good  draught  of 
milk,  he  and  his  interpreter  would  travel  slowly  all  day,  and 
in  the  evening  reach  their  proposed  destination,  to  find  the 
natives  all  removed,  having  left  nothing  but  empty  huts. 
The  only  living  creatures  to  be  seen  would  be  some  vultures 
or  crows  perched  on  a  bush  or  rock,  picking  up  bits  of  skin 


TBA  YELLING  IN  THE  INTERIOU.  47 


and  other  refuse.  Hungry  and  thirsty  they  would  lie  down 
to  rest,  not  seldom  disturbed  by  visits  from  hyenas,  jackals, 
and  sometimes  the  lion  himself.  The  first  concern  the  next 
morning  would  be  to  find  water ;  if  successful,  they  would 
breakfast  on  a  draught,  and  again  set  off  on  their  lonely 
course,  going  slowly,  not  to  lose  the  spoor,  or  track,  and 
thankful  if  at  last  they  succeeded  in  finding  the  wanderers. 
Frequently,  after  a  long  and  ^hot  day's  ride,  they  would 
reach  a  village  in  the  evening,  and  after  taking  a  drink  of 
sweet  milk,  gather  young  and  old  in  a  nook,  that  the 
missionary  might  address  them  on  the  nature  and  importance 
of  salvation.  When  the  service  was  over,  he  would  take 
another  draught  of  milk,  renew  his  conversation  with  the 
people,  and  then  lie  down  on  a  mat  to  rest  for  the  night. 
Sometimes  a  kind  and  thoughtful  housewife  would  hang  a 
wooden  vessel  filled  with  milk  on  a  forked  stick  near  his  head, 
that  he  might,  if  necessary,  drink  through  the  night.  Once 
he  slept  on  the  ground  near  the  hut  of  the  principal  man  in 
the  village.  In  the  night  he  heard  something  moving  about 
outside  the  thorn  fence,  and  in  the  morning  he  said  to 
the  man,  "  It  looks  as  if  some  of  your  cattle  have  broken 
loose."  *' Oh,"  he  replied,  "  a  lion  has  been  ; "  adding,  "A 
few  nights  ago  he  sprang  over  on  to  the  very  spot  on  which 
you  have  been  lying,  and  seized  a  goat  and  carried  it  off. 
Here  are  some  of  the  mats  we  tore  from  the  house  and 
burned  to  frighten  him  away."  When  Moffat  asked  him 
how  he  could  think  of  choosing  that  spot  for  him  to  sleep 
on,  he  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  the  lion  would  not  have  had  the 
impudence  to  jump  over  on  you  ! " 


•;■  v^^^.v:^-'//f«^       ■■p^ 

.i:;^vg^f-!-^;^ 

CHAPTER   VII. 


SCENES    IN    NAMAQUA    LAND. 


r^HS  we  have  seen,  Moffat  and  his  party  were  often 
exposed  to  danger  from  lions,  which  from  the 
scarcity  of  water  frequented  the  pools  or  fountains. 
One  night  they  were  encamped  at  a  small  pool, 
when,  just  as  they  had  closed  their  evening  worship,  they 
heard  the  terrific  roar  of  a  lion.  The  oxen,  which  were 
quietly  chewing  their  cud,  rushed  about  in  terror,  trampled 
down  the  fires,  knocked  down  the  men,  and  left  them  pros- 
trated in  a  cloud  of  dust  and  sand.  Hats  and  hymn-books, 
Bibles  and  guns,  were  all  scattered  in  wild  confusion. 
Providentially  the  forest  king  did  not  make  his  appearance, 
and  no  great  harm  Avas  done. 

Going  on  one  occasion  through  a  valley,  they  came  to  a 
spot  where  the  lion  appeared  to  have  been  taking  leaping 
exercise.  Presently  tliey  met  a  native  who  had  been  an 
eye-witness  of  what  had  transj^ired.  A  large  lion  had  crept 
towards  a  short  black  stump,  very  like  a  man  ;  when  about 
a  dozen  yards  off  he  bounded  on  liis  imagined  prey,  but  fell  a 
foot  or  two  short.  For  a  time  ho  lay  steadfastly  eyeing  his 
supposed  meal,  then  arose,  smelt  it,  and  returned  to  tlie 
spot  whence   he  had   ta'ten   liis  leap.      The  first   leap   ^ai* 


SCENES  IN  NAM  AQUA  LAND.  49 

followed  by  four  others  in  succession,  till  at  last  he  placed 
his  paw  on  the  object.  Discovering  his  mistake,  he  turned 
away  in  disappointment  and  disgust.  Moffat  relates 
another  lion  scene  witnessed  by  Africaner.  A  troop  of 
zebras  were  passing  round  a  rock  when  a  lion  attempted  to 
leap  on  the  large  stallion,  which  always  brings  up  the  rear, 
but  missed  his  mark.  After  repeated  attempts,  and  ultimate 
failure,  two  more  lions  came  up,  and  the  whole  party  seemed 
to  enter  on  a  serious  consultation.  After  they  had  in- 
dulged in  an  interchange  of  roars,  the  first  lion  led  the 
other  two  twice  round  the  rock,  and  closed  the  conference 
by  making  a  final  grand  leap,  as  if  to  shew  what  could  and 
must  be  done.  After  this  the  trio  departed,  and  were  seen 
no  more.  At  that  time  an  encounter  of  some  sort  with  a 
lion  was  one  of  the  most  common  adventures  in  South 
African  travelling.  One  night  about  a  dozen  hunters  were 
sleeping  around  a  fire,  within  a  circle  of  bushes  ;  as  soon  as 
the  blaze  of  the  fire  was  out  a  lion  sprang  in  upon  them, 
seized  one  by  his  shoulder,  and  conveyed  him  to  some  dis- 
tance. The  others,  aroused  by  the  noise,  fired  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  retreating  lion  and  hit  him.  In  the  act  of 
roaring  he  let  the  man  drop,  who  immediately  bolted  in 
among  his  companions.  Moffat  afterwards  saw  the  marks 
of  the  lion's  teeth  in  the  man's  shoulder. 

We  cannot  resist  the  temptation  to  add  another  scene  of 
African  life : — "  A  man  belonging  to  Mr.  Schmelen's  con- 
gregation at  Bethany,  returning  homewards  from  a  visit  to 
his  friends,  took  a  circuitous  course  in  order  to  pass  a  small 
fountain,  or  rather  pool,  where  he  hoped  to  kill  an  antelope 
to  carry  home  to  his  family.  The  sun  had  risen  to  some 
height  by  the  time  he  reached  the  spot,  and  seeing  no  game, 
he  laid  his  gun  down  on  a  shelving  low  rock,  the  back  part 
of  Avhich  was  covered  over  with  a  species  of  dwarf  thorn- 
bushes.  He  went  to  the  water,  took  a  hearty  drink,  and 
returned  to  the  rock,  smoked  his  pipe,  and  being  a  little 

4 


60  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

tired,  fell  asleep.  In  a  short  time  the  heat  reflected  from 
the  rock  awoke  him,  and  opening  his  eyes,  he  saw  a  large 
lion  crouching  before  him,  with  its  eyes  glaring  in  his  face, 
and  within  little  more  than  a  yard  of  his  feet.  He  sat  motion- 
less for  a  few  minutes,  till  he  had  recovered  his  presence 
of  mind,  then  eyeing  his  gun,  moved  his  hand  slowly  to- 
wards it.  The  lion  seeing  him,  raised  its  head,  and  gave  a 
tremendous  roar;  he  made  another  and  another  attempt, 
but  the  gun  being  far  beyond  his  reach  ho  gave  it  up,  as 
the  lion  seemed  well  aware  of  his  object,  and  was  enraged 
whenever  he  attempted  to  move  his  hand.  His  situation 
now  became  painful  in  the  extreme ;  the  rock  on  which  he 
sat  became  so  hot  that  he  could  scarcely  bear  his  naked 
feet  to  touch  it,  and  kept  moving  them,  alternately  placing 
one  above  the  other.  The  day  passed,  and  the  night  also, 
but  the  lion  never  moved  from  the  spot ;  the  sun  rose  again, 
and  its  intense  heat  soon  rendered  his  feet  past  feeling. 
At  noon  the  lion  rose  and  walked  to  the  water,  only 
a  few  yards  distant,  looking  behind  as  it  went,  lest  the 
man  should  mo?*©,  and  seeing  him  stretdl  out  his  hand 
to  take  his  gun,  turned  in  a  rage,  and  was  on  the 
point  of  springing  upon  him.  The  animal  went  to  the 
water,  drank,  and  returning,  lay  down  again  at  the  edge 
of  the  rock.  Another  night  passed  :  the  man,  in  describ- 
ing it,  said  he  knew  not  whether  he  slept,  but  if  he  did, 
it  must  have  been  with  his  eyes  open,  for  he  always  saw  the 
lion  at  his  feet.  Next  day,  in  tlie  forenoon,  the  animal 
went  again  to  the  water,  and  while  there  he  listened  to 
some  noise  apparently  from  an  opposite  quarter,  and  dis- 
appeared in  the  bushes.  The  man  now  made  another  effort, 
and  seized  his  gun ;  but  on  attempting  to  rise,  he  fell,  his 
ankles  being  without  power.  With  his  gun  in  his  hand  he 
crept  towards  the  water  and  drank,  but  looking  at  his  feet 
he  saw,  as  ho  expressed  it,  his  '  toes  roasted,'  and  the  skin 
torn  oir  ^^ith   the    grass.      There  he  sat  a  few  moments 


^ 


SCENES  IN  NAMAQUA  LAND,  51 

expecting  the  lion's  return,  when  he  was  resolved  to  send  the 
contents  of  the  gun  through  its  head ;  but  as  it  did  not 
appear,  tying  his  gun  to  his  back,  the  poor  man  made  the 
best  of  his  way  on  his  hands  and  knees  to  the  nearest  path, 
hoping  some  solitary  individual  might  pass.  He  could  go 
no  further,  when,  providentially,  a  person  came  up  who 
took  him  to  a  place  of  safety,  from  whence  he  obtained  help, 
though  he  lost  his  toes  and  was  a  cripple  for  life." 

The  missionary  tells  a  heart-rending  story  of  the  way  in 
which  aged  parents  are  sometimes  abandoned  by  their  own 
children.  During  one  of  his  journeys,  he  was  so  sleepless 
one  night  through  thirst  that  he  rose  very  early  in  the 
morning,  and  set  off  with  a  companion  in  search  of  water. 
After  walking  a  great  distance,  they  saw  smoke  curling  up 
among  the  bushes.  The  sight  quickened  their  steps,  as  they 
expected  now  to  be  able  to  quench  their  thirst.  Approach- 
ing the  bushes,  they  were  startled  to  see  by  footprints  on  the 
sand  that  lions  had  been  there  only  a  short  time  before. 
Still  the  thirst  for  water,  and  tlie  hope  of  obtaining  it, 
overcame  their  fear,  and  they  hurried  on.  Reaching  the 
spot  whence  the  smoke  ascended,  they  beheld  an  object  of 
heart-rending  distress.  Crouching  on  the  ground  before  the 
fire  was  an  old  woman,  with  her  head  leaning  on  her  knees. 
She  was  terrified  at  their  presence,  and  tried  to  rise,  but, 
trembling  with  weakness,  fell  to  the  ground.  After  her 
fears  had  been  overcome  by  the  kindness  of  her  visitors,  she 
told  them  that  four  days  ago  her  children,  three  sons  and 
two  daughters,  had  gone  away  and  left  her  there  to  die. 
When  asked  vrhy  they  had  abandoned  her,  slie  replied, 
spreading  out  her  hands,  "  I  am  old,  you  see,  and  I  am  no 
longer  able  to  serve  them.  When  they  kill  game,  I  am  too 
feeble  to  help  in  carrying  home  the  flesh ;  I  am  not  able  to 
gather  wood  to  make  fire ;  and  I  cannot  carry  their  children 
on  ray  back  as  I  used  to  do."  Though  the  missionary's 
tongue  was  cleaving  to  the  roof  of  his  mouth  for  want  of 


52  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

water,  yet  the  sight  of  the  old  woman  forsaken  by  her 
children  to  die,  and  her  touching  story,  made  his  eyes 
fountains  of  tears.  They  would  have  taken  her  with  them, 
but  she  was  so  terrified  at  the  proposal  that  death  seemed 
imminent.  They  collected  wood,  therefore,  to  replenish  the 
fire,  gave  her  some  dried  meat,  some  tobacco,  a  knife,  and 
other  necessaries,  and  telling  her  to  keep  up  a  good  fire,  left, 
promising  to  return.  On  the  way  back,  true  to  his  word, 
Moflfat  went  to  the  spot,  but  the  old  woman  was  nowhere 
to  be  seen.  Months  afterwards  he  heard  that  her  sons 
having  heard  of  his  visit,  feared  that  he  was  a  great  chief 
who  would  come  and  punish  them  for  their  cruelty,  and  so 
fetched  her  away,  and  took  lier  once  more  to  their  home. 

Moffat's  general  mode  of  living  in  Namaqua  Land  was 
very  plain ;  there  was,  as  we  have  remarked  already,  little 
variety  in  his  food.  He  had  neither  bread  nor  vegetables. 
A  friend  once  sent  him,  from  Pella,  a  bag  containing  a  few 
pounds  of  salt ;  but  when  he  came  to  use  some  he  could 
scarcely  tell  whether  there  was  most  sand  or  salt,  and 
having  become  accustomed  to  do  without  it,  he  hung  it  upon 
a  nail,  where  it  remained  untouched.  Sometimes,  after  the 
morning  service,  he  would  shoulder  his  gun,  and  go  to  the 
plain  or  the  mountain  in  search  of  something  to  eat.  His 
raiment  was  as  scanty  as  his  food  was  plain.  The  clothes 
he  carried  from  England  soon  wore  out.  There  were  no 
laundrymaids  there,  nor  anything  like  ironing  or  mangling. 
The  old  woman  who  washed  his  linen,  sometimes  with  soap, 
oftener  without,  used  to  make  one  shirt  into  a  bag  and  put 
the  others  in  it.  When  he  was  a  youth  at  home,  his 
mother  once  shewed  him  how  to  smooth  a  shirt  by  folding 
it  properly,  and  pounding  it  with  a  piece  of  wood.  Wanting 
a  nice  shirt  on  one  occasion,  he  folded  it  up,  placed  it  on  a 
block  of  fine  granite,  and  with  a  mallet  of  wood  hammered 
lustily.  When  he  had  finished  he  found  the  shirt  riddled 
■with  holes,  some  large  enough  to  receive  the  point  of  hi^ 


SCFiVl^JS  IN  NAM  AQUA  LAND. 


53 


finger.  Thus,  like  the  first  preachers  of  the  Gospel,  he  was 
in  much  patience,  in  necessities,  in  labours,  in  watchings,  in 
fastings ;  yet  with  Paul  he  could  say,  "  I  have  learned  in 
whatsoever  state  I  am  therein  to  be  content.  I  know  how 
to  be  abased,  and  I  know  also  how  to  abound  ;  in  every- 
thing: and  in  all  thinojs  have  I  learned  the  secret  both  to 
be  filled  and  to  be  hungry,  both  to  abound  and  to  be  in 
want." 


CHAPTEH   VIII. 


VISIT  TO  GRIQUA  TOWN. 


HOUGH  Moffat  still  continued  to  labour  in  Namaqua 
Land,  it  was  felt  that  another  attempt  should  be 
made  to  find  a  more  convenient  spot  for  the  mission. 
Africaner  was  as  anxious  to  leave  as  MofTat,  and 
he  urojed  a  visit  of  inspection  to  the  Griqua  country,  to 
which  he  and  his  people  had  been  invited  by  the  Griqua 
chiefs.  Accordingly  Moffat,  with  two  of  Africaner's 
brothers,  his  son,  and  a  guide,  undertook  the  journey.  Their 
course  lay  chiefly  on  the  north  side  of  the  Orange  River. 
They  found  few  villages  on  their  way,  and  these  were  small, 
with  a  scanty  population.  They  suffered  much  from  hunger 
and  thirst.  Sometimes  they  were  compelled  to  scramble 
over  the  rocks,  where  baboons  were  numerous  and  impu- 
dent; at  other  times  they  had  to  cross  the  river.  On 
reaching  the  Falls,  the  river  presented  the  appearance  of  a 
plain,  miles  in  breadth,  entirely  covered  with  mimosa  trees, 
among  which  the  many  branches  of  the  river  run,  and  then 
tumble  over  the  precipices,  raising  clouds  of  mist.  Here 
Moffat  learnt  something  of  the  habits  of  African  crows. 
He  was  reclining  on  a  rock  one  day,  when  he  noticed  a  crow 
rise   from  the  earth,   carrying  something  dangling  in   its 


VISIT  TO  GRIQUA  TOWN,  55 

talons.  On  directing  his  companions  to  the  sight,  they  said, 
"  It  is  only  a  crow  with  a  tortoise — you  will  see  it  fall 
presently  ; "  and  down  it  fell.  The  crow  descended,  and  up 
went  the  tortoise  again  to  a  still  greater  height,  from  which 
it  dropped,  and  the  crow  instantly  followed.  On  hastening 
to  the  spot  they  found  the  crow  feasting  on  the  mangled 
tortoise ;  and  looking  around  the  flat  rock,  they  saw  the 
place  covered  with  the  shells  of^  victims  that  had  been  slain 
in  the  same  manner.  The  natives  said  the  kites  killed  the 
tortoises  after  the  same  fashion. 

"The  windings  of  the  river  sometimes  flowed  through 
immense  chasms,  overhung  with  stupendous  precipices,  and 
then  like  a  translucent  lake,  with  the  beautiful  towering 
mimosas  and  willows  reflected  from  its  bosom,  and  a  rich 
variety  of  birds,  of  fine  plumage,  though  v/ithout  a  song ; 
wild  geese,  ducks,  snipes,  flamingoes,  in  perfect  security 
feeding  on  the  banks,  beneath  the  green  shade,  or  basking 
in  the  sun's  rays  on  the  verdant  islands,  far  from  the 
fowler«s  snare.  The  swallows  also,  mounting  aloft,  or  skim- 
ming the  surface  of  the  mirror  stream ;  while  the  ravens, 
with  their  hoarse  note,  might  be  seen  seeking  their  daily 
food  among  the  watery  tribe,  or  cawing  on  the  bending 
tops  of  the  weeping-willows.  Flocks  of  guinea-fowl  would 
occasionally  add  to  the  varied  scene,  with  their  shrill  cry 
and  whirling  flight  from  the  open  plain  to  the  umbrage  of 
sloping  bank,  where  they  pass  the  night  amidst  the  branches 
of  the  tall  acacias.  But  here,  too,  the  curse  reigns  ]  for  the 
kites  and  hawks  might  be  seen  hovering  in  the  air,  watch- 
ing the  motions  of  the  creatures  beneath,  and  ready  to  dart 
down  with  the  fleetness  of  an  arrow  on  a  duckling  straying 
from  its  parent,  or  on  a  bird  or  a  hare  moving  too  far  from 
the  shelter  of  a  bush  or  tree.  The  fox  miajht  also  be  seen 
stealing  slowly  along  from  the  desert  waste  to  slake  his 
thirst  in  the  refreshing  stream,  and  seek  for  some  unfortu- 
nate  brood   which   might  fall  within  his  reach,    and  the 


56  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

cobra  and  green-serpent  ascending  the  trees  to  suck  the 
eggs  or  to  devour  the  young  birds ;  while  the  feathered 
tribe,  uniting  against  the  common  enemy,  gather  around 
and  rend  the  air  with  their  screams.  The  African  tiger, 
too,  comes  in  for  a  share  of  the  feathered  spoil.  With  his 
sharp  claws  he  ascends  the  trees  in  the  dead  of  night,  and 
seizes  the  guinea-fowls  on  their  aerial  roost.  The  hyena, 
also,  here  seeks  his  spoil,  and  gorges  some  strayed  kid,  or 
pursues  the  troop  for  the  new-fallen  antelope  or  foal ;  and 
to  fill  up  the  picture,  the  lion  may  be  heard  in  the  distance 
roaring  for  his  prey." 

As  they  journeyed  on  they  fell  in  with  various  kinds 
of  persons,  and  their  reception  changed  according  to  the 
character  of  the  people  whom  they  met.  When  they  came 
upon  any  among  whom  missionaries  had  sojourned  they  at 
once  felt  at  home,  and  were  treated  with  kindness.  At 
other  times  the  people  would  neither  give  them  meat  nor 
drink. 

This  journey  was  full  of  adventure.  On  one  occasion 
Moffat  experienced  a  marvellous  escape  from  death  through 
drinking  poisoned  water.  After  a  long  ride  under  a  burning 
sun,  they  came  one  afternoon  to  a  little  pool  branching  off 
from  the  river,  and  being  thirsty  he  dismounted,  and  lay 
down  to  drink.  Immediately  he  felt  a  strange  taste  in  his 
raoutli,  and  looking  at  the  water,  and  the  bush  fence  round 
it,  suspected  it  was  poisoned  for  tlie  purpose  of  killing  any 
game  who  might  come  there  to  drink.  At  that  moment  a 
Bushman  from  a  village  near  by  came  running  in  breathless 
haste,  and  took  him  by  the  hand,  as  if  to  prevent  him  from 
approaching  the  water,  and  talking  in  a  very  excited  manner, 
though  they  could  not  understand  a  single  word.  When 
Moffat  made  signs  that  he  had  drank,  the  poor  man  seemed 
for  a  moment  struck  dumb,  and  then  hastened  back  to  the 
village.  Moffat  and  his  party  followed.  The  poor  Bush- 
men looked  on  the  poisoned   man  with  great  compassion ; 


VISIT  TO  GRIQUA  TOWN.  57 

but  when  they  found  that  though  sliewing  symptoms  of 
the  eflfects  of  the  poison,  yet  he  did  not  die,  they  grew 
frantic  with  joy — the  women  striking  their  elbows  against 
their  naked  sides.  Soon  after  they  gave  the  travellers  some 
meat  of  zebras  which  had  died  the  previous  day  from 
drinking  this  poisoned  water ;  and  the  missionary  says  that 
having  fasted  all  day  he  enjoyed  a  steak  of  the  black- 
looking  flesh  with  its  yellow  fat.- 

The  dangers  of  the  journey  were  many  and  great.  One 
evening  they  had  scarcely  ended  their  worship  before 
retiring  to  rest,  when  the  howls  of  the  hyena  and  the 
jabbering  of  the  jackal  announced  that  these  were  to  be 
their  companions  for  the  night.  To  these  sounds  were 
added  a  blowing  and  snorting  chorus  from  the  hippopotami 
on  the  river.  When  a  little  while  after  the  dismal  notes  of 
the  hooting  owl  were  heard  also,  one  of  the  men  remarked, 
*'  We  want  only  the  lion's  roar  to  complete  the  music  of  the 
desert." 

At  times  they  were  reduced  almost  to  starvation.  One 
evening,  after  two  days'  fasting,  they  reached  a  bushless 
plain,  and  made  a  fire.  The  terrific  roar  of  a  lion  soon 
startled  them,  and  as  it  was  again  and  again  repeated,  kept 
them  in  a  state  of  terror.  They  resumed  their  journey  in 
haste,  and  at  last  escaped  the  danger,  and  halted  to  rest. 
"♦The  last  sound  we  heard  to  soothe  us,"  says  Moffat,  "  was 
the  distant  roar  of  the  lion,  but  we  were  too  much  exhausted 
to  feel  anything  like  fear.  Sleep  came  to  our  relief,  and  it 
seemed  made  up  of  scenes  the  most  lovely,  forming  a  glowing 
contrast  to  our  real  situation.  I  felt  as  if  engaged,  during 
my  short  repose,  in  roving  among  ambrosial  bowers  of 
paradisaical  delight,  hearing  sounds  of  music  as  if  from 
angels'  harps :  it  was  the  night  wind  falling  on  my  ears 
from  the  neighbouring  hill.  I  seemed  to  pass  from  stream 
to  stream,  in  which  I  bathed  and  slaked  my  thirst  at  many 
a  crystal   fount  flowing   from    golden    mountains  enriched 


58  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


Avith  living  green.  These  Elysian  pleasures  continued  till 
morning  dawn,  when  we  awoke  speechless  with  thirst,  our 
eyes  inflamed,  and  our  whole  frames  burning  like  a  coal. 
We  were,  however,  somewhat  less  fatigued,  but  wanted 
water,  and  had  recourse  to  another  pipe  before  we  could 
articulate  a  word."  He  went  in  search  of  water,  but  could 
find  none.  Happening  to  cough,  he  was  instantly  sur- 
rounded by  almost  a  hundred  baboons,  some  of  them  very 
large.  They  grunted,  gi'inned,  and  sprang  from  rock  to 
rock,  protruding  their  mouths,  and  drawing  back  the  skin 
of  their  foreheads,  threatening  an  instant  attack.  Though 
he  had  his  gun  with  him  he  dared  not  fire,  for  if  he  had 
v^-ounded  one  of  them,  he  would  have  been  skinned  in  five 
minutes.  After  a  time  they  halted  and  appeared  to  hold 
a  noisy  council,  and  the  traveller  passed  on  unharmed. 

It  was  on  this  journey  that  Moflat  first  saw  the  mirage. 
Still  searching  for  v/ater,  they  were  driving  slowly  and 
silently  over  the  burning  plain  when  this  strange  pheno- 
menon tantalised  them  with  exhibitions  of  pictures  of  lakes 
and  pools  studded  with  lovely  islets,  and  magnificent  trees 
on  their  banks.  Some  seemed  to  be  mercantile  harbours, 
with  jetties,  coves,  and  moving  rafts  and  oars.  Sometimes 
the  heat  was  so  intense  that  they  thrust  their  heads  into 
old  ant-hnis  excavated  by  the  ant-eater,  that  they  might 
have  something  solid  between  their  heated  brains  and  the 
fierce  rays  of  the  sun.  The  crown  of  tlie  head  felt  as  if 
covered  with  live  coal,  and  their  minds  began  to  wander. 
At  length  they  came  to  water.  Kot  daring  to  drink  at 
once,  they  rested  for  a  while  under  a  bush  to  cool.  When 
they  ventured  to  drink,  although  the  pool  was  moving  with 
animalcula?,  muddy,  and  nauseous  with  filth,  it  furnished  a 
reviving  drauglit.  That  night  they  reached  their  journey's 
end.  At  a  late  hour  they  arrived  at  the  house  of  Mr. 
Anderson,  one  of  the  missionaries  at  Griqua  Town.  Moflat 
entered  the  door  haggard  and  speechless,  covered  with  per- 


VISIT  TO  GRIQUA  TOWX.  59 


spiration  and  dust,  but  at  once  procured,  by  signs,  a  drauglifc 
of  water.  Afterwards  he  was  refreshed  with  a  cup  of  coffee 
and  some  food,  which  he  had  not  tasted  for  three  days. 

Moffat  found  the  society  of  the  missionaries  and  their 
wives  at  Griqua  Town  most  refreshing.  The  crowded  and 
attentive  congregation,  and  the  work  of  education  in  the 
daily  school,  soon  caused  him  to  forget  all  the  inconveniences 
and  hardships  of  the  journey,  and  he  found  unspeakable 
joy  in  preaching  to  the  Griquas  the  glad  tidings  of  redomp- 
tion.  From  Griqua  Town  he  went  on  to  Lattakoo,  about  a 
hundred  miles  to  the  north,  on  the  Kuruman  River.  Here 
he  received  a  hearty  welcome  from  the  missionaries  at  the 
station,  and  stopped  some  days.  At  this  place  he  first  saw, 
in  any  numbers,  the  Bechuanas,  but  little  thought,  as  he 
addressed  them  on  the  great  salvation,  that  this  part  of  the 
continent  was  to  be  the  scene  of  his  future  labours. 

The  time  came  for  the  party  to  return  to  Xamaqua  Land, 
and  the  return  journey  had  its  adventures  as  well  as  the 
journey  out.  They  were  overtaken  by  a  thunderstorm  and 
torrents  of  rain,  till  they  were  drenched  to  the  skin.  The 
biscuit  that  had  been  given  them  at  Griqua  Town  was  com- 
pletely destroyed  by  the  wet  They  could  light  no  fires. 
At  nights  they  were  nearly  frozen  with  cold,  and  they  were 
almost  scorched  during  the  day.  They  were  '•  in  fastings 
oft."  God,  however,  watched  over  them,  and  sometimes 
interposed  remarkably  on  their  behalf.  One  incident  may 
be  given  in  proof.  "  We  had  passed  the  night  without 
food,  and  after  a  long  day's  ride  the  sun  was  descending  on 
us,  with  little  prospect  of  meeting  with  anything  to  assuage 
the  pains  of  hunger,  when,  as  we  were  descending  from  the 
high  ground,  v/eak  and  weary,  we  saw  at  a  great  distance, 
on  the  opposite  ridge,  a  line  of  dust  approaching  with  the 
fleetness  of  the  ostrich.  It  proved  to  be  a  spring-buck, 
closely  pursued  by  a  wild  dog,  which  must  have  brought  it 
many  miles,  for  it  was  seized  within  two  hundred  yards 


60  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

of  the  spot  where  we  stood  and  instantly  despatched.  We 
of  course  thankfully  took  possession  of  his  prize,  the  right 
to  which  the  wild  dog  seemed  much  inclined  to  dispute  with 
us.  I  proposed  to  leave  half  of  it  for  the  pursuer.  'No,' 
said  one  of  my  men,  '  he  is  not  so  hungry  as  we  are,  or  he 
would  not  run  so  fast.' " 

The  night  before  reaching  Africaner's  station  they  had  a 
narrow  escape  from  a  hippopotamus.  They  were  crossing 
the  river  at  a  narrow  part  when  the  animal  came  furiously 
up  the  stream,  snortnig  so  loud  as  to  be  echoed  back  from 
the  neighbouring  rocks.  It  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty 
they  succeeded  in  making  their  escape.  These  animals  are 
timid  enough  in  their  undisturbed  lakes  and  pools,  but  when 
tiiey  have  been  hunted  from  year  to  year  they  become 
dangerous. 

On  their  arrival  home  they  were  welcomed  with  joy  by 
Africaner,  before  whom  they  laid  an  account  of  their  ex- 
pedition. The  whole  of  their  researches  and  proceedings 
gave  him  the  fullest  satisfaction ;  and  it  was  thought  best  to 
defer  for  a  season  his  removal  to  Griqua  Town.  Before  we 
proceed  further,  it  is  important  that  we  should  give  some- 
thing more  than  a  passing  notice  to  the  remarkable  career 
of  Africaner,  inasmuch  as  he  offers  one  of  the  noblest 
illustrations  of  the  triumphs  of  the  Gospel  in  this  or  any 
other  age.  The  next  chapter  w411  therefore  be  devoted  to  a 
sketch  of  his  life  and  character. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


HISTORY  AND  CHARACTER  OF  AFRICANER. 


y^RiFRICANER  and  his  father  once  roamed  over  their 
native  hills  and  dales  within  one  hundred  miles  of 
Cape  Town,  pastured  their  own  flocks,  killed  their 
own  game,  drank  of  their  own  streams,  and  mingled 
the  music  of  their  heathen  songs  with  the  winds  which  burst 
over  the  Witsemberg  and  Winterhock  mountains,  once  the 
strongholds  of  his  clan."  Gradually  the  Dutch  settlers 
encroached  upon  their  lands,  and  they  were  driven  farther 
and  farther  away  from  the  home  of  their  forefathers,  until 
at  length  Africaner  and  his  diminished  clan  became  the 
servants  of  one  of  these  settlers.  In  a  quarrel  which  after- 
wards arose  between  them,  the  Hottentot  clan  murdered 
the  farmer  and  his  family,  and  Africaner,  outlawed  from 
the  colony,  fled  with  them  to  the  Orange  River.  Here  he 
became  a  terror,  not  only  to  the  colony  on  the  south,  but 
also  to  the  tribes  on  the  north.  His  name  carried  dismay 
even  to  the  solitary  wastes  of  the  desert.  When  the 
missionaries  Albrecht  and  their  companions  settled  at 
"Warm  Bath  station,  they  were  about  one  hundred  miles 
west  of  the  neighbourhood  of  Africaner.  That  desperado 
and  part  of  his  people  occasionally  attended  their  instruc- 


62  LIFE  OF  FiOBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

tions,  and  they  visited  his  place  in  return.  Even  at  this 
time  he  listened  with  attention,  and  he  used  afterwards  to 
refer  to  it  as  the  period  when  he  saw  "men  as  trees 
w^alking." 

When  the  Rev.  John  Campbell  first  visitt)d  Africa  to 
examine  into  the  state  of  the  missionary  cause  there,  ho 
found  in  every  village  through  which  he  passed  the  terror 
of  Africaner's  name.  Feeling  how  important  it  was  that 
such  a  man  should  be  won  to  Christ,  Mr.  Campbell  wrote 
him  a  kind  conciliatory  letter,  and  forwarded  it  by  a  trusty 
messenger.  To  this  letter  Africaner  sent  a  favourable 
reply,  and  the  result  of  the  correspondence  was  a  promise  to 
send  out  a  missionary  to  Africaner's  own  station.  Hence 
when  the  directors  of  the  London  Missionary  Society  sent 
Robert  Moffat  out  to  South  Africa,  this  was  his  destination. 

Africaner  may  be  regarded  as  the  first  convert  of  the 
mission.  During  the  nine  years  of  Moffat's  hard  labours  in 
Namaqua  Land,  he  seemed  to  himself  often  as  if  beating  the 
air  or  talking  to  the  deaf,  but  the  gain  of  this  one  man  was 
a  great  success.  Africaner  was  no  ordinary  character,  and 
his  mind,  once  aroused  by  the  quickening  influence  of  the 
Spirit  of  God,  knew  no  rest  till  it  found  peace  in  the  love 
of  God  as  revealed  in  Jesus  Christ.  His  attention  to  the 
means  of  grace  was  most  exemplary.  He  was  not  a  very 
fluent  reader,  but  the  New  Testament  became  his  constant 
companion.  He  might  be  seen  under  the  shadow  of  a  great 
rock,  nearly  all  day,  eagerly  perusing  the  pages  of  Divine 
inspiration ;  or  he  would  sit  in  his  hut,  unconscious  of  the 
affairs  of  the  family  around  or  the  entrance  of  a  stranger, 
with  his  eye  gazing  on  the  blessed  Book,  and  his  mind 
absorbed  in  spiritual  and  Divine  things.  Often,  too,  at 
night,  he  would  sit  on  a  great  stone  at  the  door  of  the 
missionary's  dwelling  conversing  till  the  dawn  of  the  next 
day  on  creation,  Providence,  redemption,  and  the  heavenly 
world. 


HISTORY  OF  AFEICABER.  C3 


On  these  occasions  he  would  repeat  to  his  friend  and 
teacher,  generally  in  the  very  words  of  Scripture,  such 
passages  as  he  could  not  fully  comprehend,  and  ask  their 
meaning.  lie  loved  to  search  the  Scriptures.  He  had  no 
commentary  except  the  living  voice  of  the  missionary.  He 
had  not  even  the  help  afforded  by  marginal  references ;  but 
he  soon  discovered  the  importance  of  consulting  parallel 
passages,  and  having  an  excellent  memory,  he  was  able 
readily  to  find  them.  He  studied  the  volume  of  Nature  as 
well  as  that  of  revelation.  He  would  regard  the  starry 
heavens  with  the  deepest  interest  and  the  works  of  God 
around  him.  Sometimes,  after  Moffat  had  been  explaining 
to  him  the  wonders  of  creation,  he  would  rub  his  hands  on 
his  head  and  say,  "  I  have  heard  enough ;  I  feel  as  if  my 
head  was  too  small,  and  as  if  it  would  swell  with  these 
great  subjects." 

Speaking  of  his  character,  Moffat  says: — "During  the 
whole  period  I  lived  there  I  do  not  remember  having  occa- 
sion to  be  grieved  with  him,  or  to  complain  of  any  part  of 
his  conduct ;  his  very  faults  seemed  to  lean  to  virtue's  side. 
One  day,  when  seated  together,  I  happened  in  absence  of 
mind  to  be  gazing  steadfastly  on  him.  It  arrested  his 
attention,  and  he  modestly  inquired  the  cause.  I  replied, 
*  I  was  trying  to  picture  to  myself  your  carrying  fire  and 
sword  through  the  country,  and  I  could  not  think  how  eyes 
like  yours  could  smile  at  human  woe.'  He  answered  not, 
but  shed  a  flood  of  tears.  It  may  be  emphatically  said  of 
Africaner  that  '  he  wept  with  those  that  wept,'  for  wherever 
he  heard  of  a  case  of  distress  thither  his  sympathies  were 
directed ;  and  notwithstanding  all  his  spoils  of  former  years, 
he  had  little  to  spare,  but  he  was  ever  on  the  alert  to 
stretch  out  a  helping  hand  to  the  widow  and  fatherless. 
At  an  early  period  I  also  became  an  object  of  his  charity, 
for,  finding  out  that  I  sometimes  sat  down  to  a  scanty  meal, 
he  presented   me   with   two   cows,    which,    though   in   that 


04  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


country  giving  little  milk,  often  saved  me  many  a  hungry 
night  to  which  I  was  exposed.  He  was  a  man  of  peace  ; 
and  though  I  could  not  expound  to  him  that  the  *  sword  of 
the  magistrate'  implied  that  he  was  calmly  to  sit  at  home 
and  see  Bushmen  or  marauders  carry  off  his  cattle  and  slay 
his  servants,  yet  so  fully  did  he  understand  and  appreciate 
the  principles  of  the  Gospel  of  Peace,  that  nothing  could 
grieve  him  more  than  to  hear  of  individuals  or  villages  con- 
tending with  one  another.  He  who  was  formerly  like  a 
firebrand,  spreading  discord,  enmity,  and  war  among  the 
neighbouring  tribes,  w^ould  now  make  any  sacrifice  to  prevent 
anything  like  a  collision  between  two  contending  parties  ; 
and  when  he  might  have  raised  his  arm,  and  dared  them  to 
lift  a  spear  or  draw  a  bow,  he  would  stand  in  the  attitude 
of  a  suppliant  and  entreat  them  to  be  reconciled  to  each 
other;  and  pointing  to  his  past  life,  add,  'What  have  I 
now  of  all  the  battles  I  have  fought  and  all  the  cattle 
I  took  but  shame  and  remorse  1'  " 

Africaner's  love  for  Moffat  was  sincere  and  lasting;,  and 
he  experienced  many  proofs  of  it.  During  a  season  of  sick- 
ness— a  severe  attack  of  bilious  fever — which  in  the  course 
of  a  few  days  induced  delirium,  opening  his  eyes  in  the  first 
lucid  moments  he  saw  Africaner  sitting  before  his  couch 
gazing  on  him  with  eyes  full  of  sympathy  and  tenderness. 
He  nursed  him  throughout  the  season,  and  when  he  saw 
him  fully  restored  his  joy  was  unbounded. 

The  outlawed  robber  chieftain  now  yielded  himself  en- 
tirely to  the  instruction  and  guidance  of  his  Christian 
teacher ;  and  when,  after  some  time,  circumstances  required 
Moffat  to  visit  Cape  Town,  and  he  desired  Africaner  to 
accompany  him,  the  chief  expressed  his  readiness  to  do  so. 
At  first,  when  the  proposal  was  made  to  him,  he  looked  at 
his  friend  with  a  searching  glance,  and  gravely  asked  if  he 
were  in  earnest.  "  I  had  thought  you  loved  me,"  he  said, 
*'  and  do  you  advise  me  to  go  to  the  Government  to  be  hung 


HISTORY  OF  AFRICANER.  65 

up  as  a  spectacle  of  public  justice  1"  And  putting  his  hanrl 
to  his  head,  he  asked,  "  Do  you  not  know  that  I  am  an 
outlaw,  and  that  a  thousand  rix-dollars  have  been  offered 
for  this  poor  head  ? "  When  Moffat  assured  him  that  he 
need  not  fear  any  evil  consequences — that  the  results  would 
be  satisfactory  to  himself  and  to  the  Governor  of  the  Cape, 
he  said,  "Well,  I  shall  deliberate,  and  commit"  (or,  as  ho 
used  the  word  according  to  the  Dutch  translation)  "  roll  ray 
way  upon  the  Lord ;  I  know  He  will  not  leave  me." 

When  they  started  for  Cape  Town  nearly  all  the  in- 
habitants accompanied  them  half  a  day's  journey  to  the 
Orange  River,  and  there  they  parted  amid  the  shedding  of 
tears  on  both  sides.  When  they  reached  Pella  the  scene 
was  most  affecting.  Men  met  who  had  not  seen  each  other 
since  they  had  met  in  mutual  combat  for  each  other's 
destruction — met  now  as  brethren  in  Christ,  and  talked  of 
Him  who  had  subdued  both  by  His  love.  After  spending 
some  pleasant  days  here  they  set  off  to  pass  through  the 
territories  of  the  farmers  to  Cape  Town. 

Their  appearance  in  the  colony  surprised  all.  "  Some  of 
the  worthy  people  on  the  borders  of  the  colony  congratulated 
me,"  says  Mr.  Moffat,  "  on  returning  alive,  having  often 
heard,  as  they  said,  that  I  had  been  long  ago  murdered  by 
Africaner.  Much  wonder  was  expressed  at  my  narrow 
escape  from  such  a  monster  of  cruelty,  the  report  having 
been  spread  that  Mr.  Ebner  had  but  just  escaped  with  the 
skin  of  his  teeth.  While  some  would  scarcely  credit  my 
identity,  my  testimony  as  to  the  entire  reformation  of 
Africaner's  character  and  his  conversion  was  discarded  as 
the  effusion  of  a  frenzied  brain.  It  sometimes  afforded  no 
little  entertainment  to  Africaner  and  the  Namaquas  to 
hear  a  farmer  denounce  this  supposed  irreclaimable  savage. 
Therewere  only  a  few,  however,  who  were  sceptical  on  this 
subject.  At  one  farm  a  novel  scene  exhibited  the  state  of 
feeling  respecting  Africaner  and  myself,  and  likewise  dis- 


66  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


played  the  power  of  Divine  grace  under  peculiar  circum- 
stances. It  was  necessary,  from  the  scarcity  of  water,  to 
call  at  such  places  as  lay  in  our  road.  The  farmer  referred 
to  was  a  good  man  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word,  and  he 
and  his  wife  had  both  shewn  me  kindness  on  my  way  to 
Namaqua  Land.  On  approaching  the  house,  which  was  on 
an  eminence,  I  directed  my  men  to  take  the  waggon  to  the 
valley  below,  while  I  walked  towards  the  house.  The 
farmer,  seeing  a  stranger,  came  slowly  down  the  descent  to 
meet  me.  When  within  a  few  yards  I  addressed  him  in 
the  usual  way,  and,  stretching  out  my  hand,  expressed  my 
pleasure  at  seeing  him  again.  He  put  his  hand  behind  him, 
and  asked  me  rather  wildly  who  I  was.  I  replied  that  I 
was  Moffat,  expressing  my  wonder  that  he  should  have 
forgotten  me.  '  Moffat ! '  he  rejoined  in  a  faltering  voice  ; 
*it  is  your  ghost ! '  and  moved  backward.  '  I  am  no  ghost,' 
I  replied.  'Don't  come  near  me!'  he  exclaimed;  'you 
have  long  been  murdered  by  Africaner.'  'But  I  am>  no 
ghost,'  I  said,  feeling  my  hands  as  if  to  convince  him,  and 
myself  too,  of  my  materiality,  but  his  alarm  only  increased. 
'  Everybody  says  you  were  murdered  ;  f%nd  a  man  told  me 
he  had  seen  your  bones;'  and  ho  continued  to  gaze  at  me, 
to  the  no  small  astonishment  of  the  good  wife  and  children 
who  were  standing  at  the  door,  as  also  to  that  of  my  people, 
who  were  looking  on  from  the  waggon  below.  At  length 
he  extended  his  trembling  hand,  saying,  '  AVhen  did  you 
rise  from  the  dead  ? '  As  he  feared  my  presence  would 
alarm  his  wife,  we  bent  our  steps  towards  the  waggon,  and 
Africaner  was  the  subject  of  our  conversation.  I  gave  him 
in  a  few  words  my  views  of  his  present  character,  saying, 
'  He  is  now  a  truly  good  man  ; '  to  which  he  replied,  '  I  can 
believe  almost  anything  you  say,  but  tliat  I  cannot  credit ; 
there  arc  seven  wonders  in  the  world — that  would  be 
the  eighth.'  I  appealed  to  the  displays  of  Divine  grace  in 
a  Paul,  a  Manasseh,  and  referred  to  his  own  experience. 


HISTORY  OF  AFRICANEE.  6V 


He  replied,  these  were  another  description  of  men,  but  that 
Africaner  was  one  of  the  accursed  sons  of  Ham,  enumerating 
some  of  the  atrocities  of  which  he  had  been  guilty.  Dy 
this  time  we  were  standing  near  to  Africaner,  on  whoKo 
countenance  sat  a  smile,  for  he  well  knew  the  prejudices  of 
some  of  the  farmers.  The  farmer  closed  the  conversation 
by  saying,  with  much  earnestness,  '  Well,  if  what  you  assert 
be  true  respecting  that  man,  I  have  only  one  wish,  and  that 
is  to  see  him  before  I  die ;  and  when  you  return,  as  sure  as 
the  sun  is  over  our  heads,  I  will  go  with  you  to  see  him, 
though  he  killed  my  own  uncle.'  I  was  not  before  aware 
of  this  fact,  and  now  felt  some  hesitation  whether  to  dis- 
cover to  him  the  object  of  his  wonder ;  but  knowing  the 
sincerity  of  the  farmer  and  the  goodness  of  his  disposition, 
I  said,  '  This,  then,  is  Africaner  ! '  He  started  back,  look- 
ing intensely  at  the  man,  as  if  he  had  just  dropped  from  the 
clouds.  '  Are  you  Africaner  *? '  he  exclaimed.  The  chief 
arose,  doffed  his  old  hat,  and  making  a  polite  bow,  answered, 
*I  am.'  The  farmer  seemed  thunderstruck;  but  when,  by 
a  few  questions,  he  had  assured  himself  of  the  fact  that  the 
former  bugbear  of  the  border  stood  before  him,  now  meek 
and  lamb-like  in  his  whole  deportment,  he  lifted  up  his  eyes 
and  exclaimed,  '  O  God,  what  a  miracle  of  Thy  power ! 
what  cannot  Thy  grace  accomplish  ! '  The  kind  farmer,  and 
nis  no  less  hospitable  wife,  now  abundantly  supplied  out 
wants  :  but  we  hastened  our  departure,  lest  the  intelligence 
might  get  abroad  that  Africaner  was  with  me,  and  bring 
unpleasant  visitors." 

The  arrival  of  Moffat  and  Africaner  at  Cape  Town  gave 
satisfaction  to  all  parties.  Lord  Charles  Somerset,  the 
Governor,  as  a  testimony  of  his  good  feeling,  presented 
Africaner  with  an  excellent  waggon.  Mr.  Campbell  and  Dr. 
Philip,  who  had  just  arrived  at  the  Cape  from  England  for 
the  purpose  of  examining  into  the  state  of  the  Africai? 
^nissions,  rejoiced  to  see  before  them  such  a  trophy  of  DivinC 


68  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


grace.  Africaner's  appearance  excited  much  interest  among 
the  people  of  Cape  Town  generally.  They  were  struck  with 
his  mildness  and  gentleness  of  disposition,  and  with  his  piety 
and  accurate  knowledge  of  the  Bible.  His  New  Testament 
was  an  interesting  object  of  attention,  it  was  so  completely 
thumbed  and  worn  by  use. 

When  Moffat  went  with  Africaner  to  Cape  Town,  it  was 
his  full  intention  to  return  with  him  to  his  station,  but 
this  was  not  to  be,  for  it  was  the  wish  of  Mr.  Campbell  and 
Dr.  Philip  that  the  tried  missionary  should  accompany 
them  in  their  visits  to  the  several  stations,  and  eventually 
be  appointed  to  mission  work  among  the  Bechuanas.  Much 
to  Africaner's  regret,  though  with  his  full  consent,  he  was 
thus  separated  from  his  old  friend,  and  went  home  alone. 
About  a  year  afterwards  they  met  once  more.  On  this 
occasion  they  parted  with  some  hope  that  again  they  might 
see  each  other  on  earth  ;  but  no — it  was  the  last  farewell ; 
for  scarcely  two  years  had  elapsed  when  Africaner  was 
called  to  enter  into  the  joy  of  his  Lord.  His  death  was 
calm  and  peaceful.  The  Rev.  J.  Archbell,  Wesleyan  mis- 
sionary, in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Philip,  thus  describes  the  closing 
scene  of  the  life  of  this  remarkable  man  : — "  Africaner  was 
a  man  of  sound  judgment,  and  of  undaunted  courage ;  and 
although  he  himself  was  one  of  the  first  and  severest  perse- 
cutors of  the  Christian  cause,  he  would,  had  he  lived,  have 
spilled  his  blood,  if  necessary,  for  his  missionary.  When  he 
found  his  end  approaching,  he  called  all  his  people  together, 
after  tlie  example  of  Joshua,  and  gave  them  directions  as  to 
their  future  conduct.  '  We  are  not,'  said  he,  '  what  we 
were,  savages,  but  men  professing  to  be  taught  according  to 
the  Gospel.  Let  us  then  do  accordingly.  Live  peaceably 
with  all  men,  if  possible ;  and  if  impossible,  consult  those 
■who  are  placed  over  you  before  you  engage  in  anything. 
Remain  together  as  you  have  done  since  I  knew  you.  Then, 
when  the  directors  think  fit  to  send  you  a  missionary,  yoq 


HISTORY  OF  AFRiCANl^n.  CD 


may  be  ready  to  receive  him.  Behave  to  any  teacher  yov; 
may  have  sent  as  one  sent  of  God,  as  I  have  great  hope 
that  God  will  hless  you  in  this  respect  when  T  am  gone  to 
Heaven.  I  feel  that  I  love  God,  and  that  he  has  done  much 
for  me  of  which  I  am  totally  unworthy.  My  former  life  is 
stained  with  blood,  but  Jesus  Christ  has  pardoned  me,  and 
I  am  going  to  Heaven.  Oh,  beware  of  falling  into  the  same 
evils  into  which  I  have  led  you  frequently ;  but  seek  God, 
and  He  will  be  found  of  you  to  direct  you." 


CHAPTER   X. 


THE  BECHUANA  MISSION". 


HE  first  visit  Mr.  MofTat  paid  to  Cape  Town,  aftor  Iiis 
residence  at  the  Orange  River,  was  most  important, 
regarded  in  the  light  of  his  future  career.  Here, 
and  now,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  the  jDartner 
and  sharer  of  his  toils  and  labours,  Miss  Smith,  to  wliom  he 
liad  been  long  previously  engaged,  and  who  had  arrived 
from  England.  She  was  his  loving  and  faithful  companion 
for  upwards  of  fifty  years  of  his  life  in  Africa,  and  returned 
home  with  him  to  England  at  the  close  of  his  missionary 
w^ork.  After  a  short  illness,  ending  in  bronchitis,  she  died 
in  peace  on  10th  January  1871.  Their  English  loneliness 
on  Africa's  soil  made  the  wife  as  essential  to  the  husband's 
usefulness  as  the  husband  Nvas  essential  to  the  wife's  safety. 
They  Avere  thoroughly  one  in  thought,  feeling,  purpose,  and 
aim.  Slie  always  studied  her  husband's  comfort,  never 
hindered  him  in  his  work,  but  did  what  she  could  at  all 
times  to  keep  him  up  to  it.  The  following  brief  but 
faithful  sketch  of  lier  character  is  from  the  Missionary 
Chronicle  of  February  1871:— ''Mrs.  Moffat  arrived  in 
Cape  Town,  and  was  married  to  the  Rev.  Robert  Moffat 
in   1819  ;    and   henceforth,    for   lifty-one  years,   she  was   a 


THE  BECIIUANA  MISSION.  71 

sharer  of  all  the  toil,  the  sorrow,  and  the  joy  of  her  devoted 
husband.  Her  object  was  to  live  for  him,  that  he  might  be 
wholly  free  to  live  for  the  tribes  around.  None  looked 
upon  the  dark  races  with  a  more  compassionate  eye — none 
more  tenderly  yearned  over  them  in  their  ignorance,  or  more 
truly  longed  for  the  day  of  their  redemption.  During  the 
last  few  weeks  of  her  life,  night  and  day,  her  soul  was  full 
of  the  thought  that  a  new  edition  of  the  whole  Bechuana 
Bible  is  to  be  printed  in  London ;  and  she  contemplated 
with  intense  satisfaction  the  prospect  of  its  wide  circulation 
among  the  tribes  who  seemed  to  have  wakened  up  anew  to 
appreciate  it.  The  loss  to  Mr.  Moffat  of  one  who  was  his 
beloved  companion,  not  only  for  so  many  years,  but  in 
circumstances  which  made  them  all-in-all  to  each  other,  is 
unspeakably  great." 

Another  important  event,  growing  out  of  Moffat's  visit  to 
Cape  Town,  was  his  appointment  to  the  Bechuana  mission. 
Apart  from  the  regret  of  leaving  Africaner  and  the  Namaqua 
congregation,  this  new  field  of  labour  was  a  very  inviting 
one  to  the  vounsj  missionarv,  whose  fitness  and  zeal  in  the 
apostolic  work  had  been  increased  by  experience.  The 
station  he  was  appointed  to  occupy  was  one  of  the  foremost 
posts  on  heathen  soil,  and  beyond  it  were  regions  thickly 
populated  by  races  who  had  never  seen  the  face  of  a  white 
man,  and  to  whom  Christianity  and  its  attendant  blessings 
were  as  yet  unknown.  Twenty  years  before  this  an  attempt 
had  been  made  by  the  Dutch  Missionary  Society  in  Cape 
Town  amonij  the  Bechuanas.  The  two  men  who  were  sent 
to  them  not  being  able  to  accomplish  anything  as  mission- 
aries, turned  their  attention  to  trading.  In  1805,  Dr. 
Lichtensteiii  visited  the  Bechuanas,  and  after  him  Burchell 
and  others.  In  1816,  two  missionaries  were  sent  out  by 
the  London  Missionary  Society,  at  the  request  of  the  chief 
Mothibi ;  but  when  the  chief  and  his  people  found  they 
came  empty-handed,   and  had  nothing  to  trade  or  barter, 


72  LIFE  OF  no  BERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


they  declined  to  receive  tliem,  and  actually  re-yoked  their 
waggons  and  ordered  them  away.  In  1821,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
INIoffat  settled  among  them  under  more  auspicious  circum- 
stances, and  such  blessed  results,  as  these  pages  will  presently 
shew. 

For  some  years  Mr.  Hamilton  shared  with  them,  at 
Lattakoo  or  Lithako,  the  labours  and  anxieties  of  this 
frontier  station.  Their  difficulties  were  increased  by  the 
unsettled  condition  of  the  country.  There  was  no  peace  in 
the  land.  Cattle-lifting  expeditions  were  constantly  on  the 
move,  and  in  these  engagements  the  Bechuanas  were  not 
always  the  victors.  They  had  no  religious  system,  no  idea 
of  a  Creator,  no  belief  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul — • 
nothing-  which  miiiht  form  a  scroundwork  for  conveying;  to 
them  instruction  in  spiritual  things.  "  They  looked  on  the 
sun  with  the  eyes  of  an  ox."  For  a  bit  of  tobacco,  or  some 
small  equivalent,  the  missionary  might  gain  their  attention 
for  a  little  time,  but  his  efforts  to  convey  to  them  the  idea 
of  a  Creator  and  of  a  Saviour  appeared  as  futile  as  to 
convert  a  granite  rock  into  arable  land. 

The  following  description  of  the  people  is  from  the  pen 
of  Mr.  Cumming,  who  describes  them  as  he  saw  them  : — 
"As  I  had  now  reached  the  southern  border  of  that  vast 
tract  of  Southern  Africa  inhabited  by  the  numerous  tribes 
of  the  Bechuanas,  it  will  be  necessary,  before  proceeding 
further,  to  give  a  sketch  of  their  manners  and  customs. 
They  are  a  lively  and  intelligent  race  of  people,  and  remark- 
able for  their  goodhumour ;  they  are  well-formed,  if  not 
starved  in  infancy.  They  possess  pleasing  featui'es,  and 
very  fine  eyes  and  teeth  ;  their  hair  is  short  and  woolly  ;  the 
colour  of  their  complexion  is  of  a  light  copper.  The  various 
tribes  live  in  kraals  or  ^  illages  of  various  sizes,  along  with 
their  respective  chiefs.  Their  wigwams  are  built  in  a 
circular  form,  and  thatched  with  long  grass  ;  the  floor  and 
wall,  inside  and  out,  are  plastered  with  a  compound  of  clay 


THE  BECUUANA  MISSION'.  73 


and  cow-dunnf.  The  entrances  are  about  three  feet  hi!2;h 
and  i.wo  feet  broad.  Each  wigwam  is  surrounded  by  a 
hedge  of  wicker-work,  while  one  grand  hedge  of  wait-a-bit 
thorns  surrounds  the  entire  kraal,  protecting  the  inmates 
from  lions  and  other  animals. 

"  The  dress  of  the  men  consists  of  a  kaross,  which  hangs 
gracefully  from  their  shoulders^  and  another  garment  called 
tsecha,  which  encircles  their  loins,  and  is  likewise  made  of 
skin.  On  their  feet  they  wear  a  simple  sandal,  formed  of 
the  skin  of  the  buffalo  or  camelopard.  On  their  legs  and 
arms  they  carry  ornaments  of  brass  and  copper,  of  different 
patterns,  which  are  manufactured  by  themselves.  The  men 
also  wear  a  few  ornaments  of  beads  round  their  necks  and 
on  their  arms.  Around  their  necks,  besides  beads,  they 
carry  a  variety  of  other  appendages,  the  majority  of  which 
are  believed  to  possess  a  powerful  charm  to  preserve  them 
from  evil.  One  of  these  is  a  small  hollow  bone,  through 
which  they  blow  when  in  peril ;  another  is  a  set  of  dice 
formed  of  ivory,  which  they  rattle  in  their  hands  and  cast 
on  the  ground,  to  ascertain  if  they  are  to  be  lucky  in  any 
enterprise  in  which  they  may  be  about  to  engage ;  also  a 
host  of  bits  of  root  and  bark  which  are  medicinal.  From 
their  necks  also  depend  gourd  snuff-boxes,  made  of  an 
'exceedingly  diminutive  species  of  pumpkin,  trained  to  grow 
in  a  bottle-like  shape. 

"  They  never  move  without  their  arras,  which  consist  of  a 
shield,  a  bundle  of  assagais,  a  battle-axe,  and  a  knobkerry. 
The  shields  are  formed  of  the  hide  of  the  buffalo  or  camelo- 
pard ;  their  shape  among  some  tribes  are  oval,  among  others 
round.  The  assagai  is  a  sort  of  light  spear  or  javelin, 
havinc'  a  wooden  shaft  about  six  feet  in  lensfth  attached  to 

O  O 

it.  Some  of  these  are  formed  solely  for  throwing,  and  a 
skilful  warrior  will  send  one  through  a  man's  body  at  one 
hundred  yards.  Another  variety  of  assagai  is  formed  solely 
for  stabbing.     The   blades  of   these    are  stouter,   and   the 


74  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


shafts  shorter  and  tjiicker,  than  tlie  other  variety.  They 
are  found  mostly  among  the  tribes  very  far  in  tlie  interior. 
Their  battle-axes  are  elegantly  formed,  consisting  of  a 
triangular-shaped  blade  fastened  in  a  handle  formed  of  the 
horn  of  the  rhinoceros.  The  men  employ  their  time  in  war 
and  hunting,  and  in  dressing  the  skins  of  wild  animals. 

"  The  dress  of  the  women  consists  of  a  kaross,  depending 
from  the  shoulder,  and  a  short  kilt,  formed  of  the  skin  of 
the  pall  ah  or  some  other  antelope.  Around  their  necks, 
arms,  waists,  and  ankles  they  wear  large  and  cumbrous 
coils  of  beads  of  a  variety  of  colours,  tastefully  arranged  in 
different  patterns.  The  women  chiefly  employ  their  time 
in  cultivatinsf  their  fields  and  gardens,  in  which  thev  rear 
corn,  pumpkins,  and  water-melons,  and  likewise  in  harvest' 
ing  their  crops  and  grinding  their  corn.  Both  men  and 
women  go  bare-headed ;  they  anoint  their  heads  with  sebilo, 
a  shining  composition,  being  a  mixture  of  fat  and  a  grey 
sparkling  ore,  having  the  appearance  of  mica.  Some  of  the 
tribes  besmear  their  bodies  with  a  mixture  of  fat  and  rod 
clay,  imparting  to  them  the  appearance  of  Red  Indians. 
Most  of  the  tribes  possess  cattle  ;  these  are  attended  to  and 
milked  solely  by  the  men,  a  woman  never  being  allowed  to 
set  foot  within  the  cattle-kraal.  Polygamy  is  allowed,  and 
any  man  may  keep  as  many  wives  as  he  pleases  ;  the  wife, 
however,  has  in  the  first  instance  to  be  purchased.  Among 
tribes  possessed  of  cattle  the  price  of  a  wife  is  ten  head  of 
cattle  ;  but  among  the  poorer  tribes  a  wife  may  be  obtained 
for  a  few  spades  with  which  they  cultivate  their  fields. 
These  spades,  which  are  manufactured  by  themselves,  are 
fastened  in  the  end  of  a  long  shaft,  and  arc  used  as  our 
labourers  use  the  hoe.  Rows  of  women  may  be  seen  dig- 
ging together  in  the  fields,  singing  songs,  to  which  they 
keep  time  with  their  spades." 

Mr.  Thompson,  in  his  "  Travels,"  correctly  remarks  that, 
"like  most  barbarians,  their  political  wisdom   consists  in 


THE  BECHUANA  MISSIO.Y.  75 

duplicity  and  petty  cunning ;  and  their  ordinary  wars  were 
merely  predatory  incursions  upon  their  weaker  neighbours, 
for  the  purpose  of  carrying  off  cattle,  with  as  little  exposure 
as  possible  of  their  own  lives.  Their  exj^editions  against 
the  Bushmen  were  peculiarly  vindictive,  and  conducted  with 
all  the  insidiousness  and  murderous  ferocity,  without  the 
heroic  intrepidity,  of  American  .or  New  Zealand  savages." 
Falsehood,  revenge,  robbery,  and  murder  were  among  their 
chief  characteristics,  and  in  all  of  which  they  were  adepts. 

The  Bechuanas  were  as  tenacious  of  their  customs  as  the 
Hindoos  of  caste.  "  Their  youth,  for  instance,"  says  Moffat, 
"would  forfeit  anything  rather  than  go  uncircumcised. 
This  national  ceremony  is  performed  from  the  age  of  eight 
to  fourteen,  and  even  to  manhood,  though  tlis  children  born 
previous  to  their  parents  being  initiated  cannot  be  heirs  to 
regal  power.  There  is  much  feasting  and  dancing  on  the 
occasion,  and  every  heart  is  elated  at  these  festivities.  The 
females  also  have  their  hoyali  at  the  same  age,  in  which 
they  are  under  the  tuition  of  matrons,  and  initiated  into  all 
the  duties  of  wives,  in  which  it  merits  notice  that  passive 
obedience  is  especially  inculcated." 

After  these  tedious  ceremonies  are  over  the  youth  appears 
lubricated,  assuminix  the  character  and  wearinsf  the  dress  of 
h  man,  while  he  is  considered  able  to  bear  the  shield  and 
wield  the  javelin.  The  girls  also,  when  they  have  gone  the 
round  of  weeks  of  drillinsf,  dancing:,  sinsjino",  and  listeninfj 
to  the  precepts  of  the  grave  old  women,  have  a  piece  of  iron 
rather  hot  put  into  their  hands,  which  they  must  hold  fast 
for  a  time,  though  painful,  to  shew  that  their  hands  are 
hard  and  strong  for  labour.  They  are  then  anointed,  and 
having  put  on  the  usual  female  dress,  the  lower  part  of  their 
hair  is  shaven  off,  and  the  upper  part  profusely  bedaubed 
with  a  paste  of  butter  and  sehilo — black  shining  ochre. 
Kaised  thus  from  comparative  infancy  to  what  they  consider 
womanhood,  they  view  themselves  with  as  much  complacency 


76  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

as  if  they  were  enrobed  in  the  attire  of  the  daughters  of  an 
eastern  potentate.  They  have  reached  nearly  to  a  climax 
in  their  life,  for  they  expect  soon  to  be  married,  and  to 
be  a  mother  thoy  consider  the  chief  end  of  a  woman's 
existence. 

These  ceremonies  were  prodigious  barriers  to  the  Gospel. 
Polygamy  was  another  obstacle,  and  the  Bechuanas,  jealous 
of  any  diminution  in  their  self-indulgence  by  being  deprived 
of  the  services  of  their  wives,  looked  with  an  extremely 
suspicious  eye  on  any  innovation  on  this  ancient  custom. 
While  going  to  war,  hunting,  watching  the  cattle,  milking 
the  cows,  and  preparing  the  furs  and  skins  for  mantles,  was 
the  work  of  the  men,  the  women  had  by  far  the  heavier  task 
of  agriculture,  building  the  houses,  fencing,  bringing  firewood, 
and  heavier  than  all,  nature's  charge,  the  rearing  of  a  family. 
The  greater  part  of  the  year  they  are  constantly  eniployed  ; 
and  during  the  season  of  picking  and  sowing  their  gardens 
their  task  is  galling,  living  on  a  coarse,  scanty  fare,  and 
frequently  having  a  babe  fastened  to  their  backs  while  thus 
cultivating  the  ground. 

The  men,  for  obvious  reasons,  found  it  convenient  to  have 
a  number  of  such  vassals  rather  than  only  one,  while  the 
woman  would  be  perfectly  amazed  at  one's  ignorance  were 
she  to  be  told  that  she  would  be  much  happier  in  a  single 
state  or  widowhood  than  being  the  mere  concubine  and 
drudge  of  a  haughty  husband,  who  spent  the  greater  part  of 
his  life  in  lounging  in  the  shade,  while  she  was  compelled, 
for  his  comfort  as  well  as  her  own,  to  labour  under  the  rays 
of  an  almost  vertical  sun,  in  a  hot  and  withering  climate. 
Their  houses,  which  require  considerable  ingenuity  as  well 
as  hard  labour,  are  entirely  the  work  of  the  women,  who 
are  extremely  thankful  to  carry  houie  even  the  heavier 
timbers,  if  their  husbands  will  take  their  axes  and  fell  them 
in  the  thicket,  which  may  be  many  miles  distant.  The 
centre  of  the  conical  roof  will  in  many  houses  be  eighteen 


THE  EEC  EVAN  A  31  IS S 10  K  77 


feet  high,  and  it  requires  no  little  scrambling,  in  the  absence 
of  ladders,  for  females  to  climb  to  such  a  height,  but  the 
men  pass  and  repass,  and  look  on  with  the  most  perfect 
indifference ;  while  it  never  enters  their  heads  that  their 
wife,  their  daughter,  or  their  mother  may  fall  and  break  a 
leg  or  neck.  These  houses,  though  temporary,  and  requiring 
great  labour  to  keep  them  constantly  in  repair,  are  never- 
theless very  well  adapted  to  the  climate.  They  admit  little 
light,  which  is  not  desirable  in  a  hot  country,  and  among 
millions  of  house-flies ;  liut  during  the  winter  season  they 
are  uncomfortably  airy  and  cold. 

For  more  than  five  j-ears  tliese  people  continued  callous 
and  indifferent  to  all  instruction,  unless  it  were  followed  by 
some  immediate  temporal  benefit.  Notwithstanding  their 
many  discouragements,  the  mission  party  perseveringly  went 
on  with  their  work.  They  had  to  build  their  own  dwellings 
and  enclose  their  gardens  and  folds.  The  site  of  the  station 
was  a  light  sandy  soil,  where  no  kind  of  vegetables  would 
grow  without  constant  irrigation ;  it  was  necessary,  there- 
fore, to  make  water-furrows,  leading  from  the  Kuruman 
River,  to  water  their  grain  and  vegetables.  When  their 
crops  came  to  perfection,  or  before,  they  were  often  stolen 
by  the  natives.  Standing  in  the  sawpit,  labouring  at  the 
anvil,  treading  clay  for  making  bricks,  preaching  to  the 
motley  few  who  attended  their  place  of  worship — such  were 
the  duties  of  each  returning  day.  When  the  evening  came, 
it  was  often  the  burden  of  conversation  that  their  utensils 
and  tools  had  been  taken,  or  their  water-furrows  destroyed. 
More  than  once,  on  returning  from  preaching,  they  found  a 
stone  left  in  the  pot  instead  of  the  meat  they  had  placed 
there,  and  on  which  they  had  hoped  to  dine.  Their  morti- 
fications, losses,  and  disappointments  were  endless.  Still, 
they  encouraged  themselves  in  the  Lord  their  God.  Though 
cast  down  there  was  no  yielding  to  despair.  They  knew 
they  were  at  the  post  of  duty,  and  that  fidelity  was  required 


78  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

of  them.  Tiiey  knew  that  though  they  were  nob  respon- 
sible for  success,  yet  they  were  responsible  for  faithfulness. 
They  knew  that  if  they  persevered  in  their  labours,  sooner 
or  later  they  should  witness  success.  They  remembered 
the  words  of  their  Lord,  and  rejoiced  in  them  : — "  All 
authority  hath  been  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  on  earth. 
Go  ye  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all  the  nations, 
baptizing  them  into  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  teaching  them  to  observe  all 
things  whatsoever  I  commanded  you  ;  and  lo,  I  am  with 
you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world." 


CHAPTER   XI. 


INCREASED  DANGERS  AT  LITHAKO. 


{0  add  to  all  their  other  trials,  a  rain-maker,  imported 
from  a  distant  tribe,  brought  upon  them  the  re- 
proaches and  hostility  of  the  people.  The  country 
had  long  suffered  from  a  severe  drought ;  the  heavens 
were  as  brass ;  scarcely  a  cloud  had  been  seen  for  months ; 
the  land  was  barren ;  cattle  were  dying  rapidly  ;  and  many 
of  the  people,  emaciated  almost  to  skeletons,  were  living  on 
reptiles  and  roots.  In  Southern  Africa,  the  people  at  such 
a  time  resort  to  rain-makers  for  help.  Mr.  Kay  very 
properly  calls  these  men  "the  missionaries  inveterate 
enemies ; "  and  says  that  they  uniformly  oppose,  to  the 
utmost  of  their  power,  the  introduction  of  the  Gospel  among 
their  countrymen.  Like  the  angelcoks  of  the  Greenlanders, 
the  iiaivaws  of  the  Indians,  and  the  greegrees  of  Western 
Africa,  they  are  amongst  the  strongest  pillars  of  Satan's 
kingdom.  Their  influence  over  the  minds  of  the  people  is 
greater  than  even  that  of  the  chief  or  king,  who  is  obliged 
to  yield  to  their  commands.  The  Bechuanas  held  a  council, 
and  passed  resolutions  to  send  for  a  rain-maker  of  renown 
from  the  Bahurutsi  tribe,  two  hundred  miles  north-east  of 
the  Kuruman  station.     The  ambassadors  who  vrere  sent  to 


80  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

request  his  presence  and  help,  promised  that  if  he  would 
return  with  them  and  cause  the  needed  rain  to  fall,  he 
should  receive  rewards  beyond  all  calculation.  One  day, 
after  the  return  of  the  messengers  was  overdue,  and  the 
people  were  waiting  in  anxious  expectation,  a  sudden  shout 
was  raised,  and  the  whole  town  was  .in  motion.  The  rain- 
maker was  at  hand.  Every  voice  was  elevated  to  the 
highest  pitch  in  exclamations  of  joy.  All  at  once  the 
clouds  began  to  gather,  the  lightnings  darted,  the  thunders 
roared  in  awful  grandeur,  and  a  few  heavy  drops  of  rain 
fell.  The  deluded  people  were  frantic  with  excitement ; 
and  as  the  impostor  proclaimed  aloud  that  that  year  the 
women  would  have  to  cultivate  their  gardens  on  the  hills, 
because  the  valleys  would  be  deluged,  the  shoutings  of  joy 
baffled  all  description.  After  the  noise  and  tumult  had 
somewhat  subsided,  a  few  of  the  multitude  waited  on  the 
missionaries,  and  treated  them  and  their  doctrines  witli 
derision.  One  asked,  with  a  sneer,  "  Where  is  your  God  1 
Have  you  not  seen  our  Morimo  1  Have  you  not  beheld 
him  cast  from  his  arm  his  fiery  spears,  and  heard  his  voice 
in  the  clouds  %  You  talk  of  Jehovah,  and  Jesus  ;  what  can 
they  do  1 "  Referring  to  this  interview,  Moffat  observes  : 
"  Never  in  my  life  do  I  remember  a  text  being  brought 
home  with  such  power  as  the  words  of  the  Psalmist — 'Be 
still,  and  know  that  I  am  God ;  I  will  be  exalted  among 
the  heathen.' " 

Just  then  there  was  every  probability  of  the  darkness 
which  had  gathered  around  the  missionaries  becoming  darker 
still.  The  rain-maker  boasted  of  his  powers,  and  told  the 
most  wonderful  tales  of  his  control  over  the  elements  on 
former  occasions  and  among  other  tribes.  But  all  too  soon 
the  clouds  in  Bechuana  vanished  again  ;  no  shower  followed 
the  first  few  drops ;  the  burning  sun  once  more  parched  the 
earth,  and  all  creatures  that  had  life  seemed  as  if  they 
must  soon  die.     The  clouds  were  obstinate,  and  the  showers 


INCREASED  DANGERS  AT  LITHAKO.        81 

of  rain  more  obstinate  still ;  the  rain-maker  called  them,  but 
they  would  not  come.  Various  obstacles  were  suggested  as 
being  in  the  way,  and  various  remedies  thought  of.  The 
women  were  required  to  gather  certain  roots  and  herbs,  that 
when  the  moon  was  new,  and  afterwards  full,  he  might 
kindle  fires  with  them  on  the  hills.  There  was  smoke,  but 
no  rain.  A  baboon  was  to  be  brought  to  him,  without  a 
blemish,  and  that  had  never  lost  a  hair ;  the  baboon  was 
brought,  but  no  rain  came.  A  lion's  heart  was  needed,  for 
the  clouds  required  strong  medicine ;  the  lion's  heart  was 
procured,  but  no  rain.  A  tree  that  had  been  struck  with 
lightning  was  cut  down  and  burned  to  ashes,  yet  no  rain 
fell.  All  the  men  of  the  town  were  sprinkled  with  a 
zebra's  tail  that  had  been  dipped  in  water,  with  which  had 
been  mixed  an  infusion  of  certain  bulbs,  still  no  rain.  At 
last  the  people  grew  impatient ;  and  then  it  appeared  that 
the  man  had  been  privately  attributing  his  failure  to  the 
presence  of  the  missionaries. 

The  people  now  poured  forth  their  curses  on  Messrs. 
Hamilton  and  Moffat  as  the  cause  of  all  their  sorrows. 
They  said  the  bell  that  was  rung  for  public  worship 
frightened  the  clouds ;  blame  was  cast  upon  their  prayers. 
"Don't  you,"  said  a  chief  angrily,  ''bow  down  in  your 
houses,  and  pray  and  talk  to  something  bad  in  the  ground  % " 
For  a  fortnight  the  rain-maker  kept  himself  secluded ;  at 
the  close  of  that  period  he  publicly  proclaimed  that  he  had 
,  discovered  the  cause  of  the  drought.  "  Do  you  not  see," 
he  exclaimed,  "when  clouds  come  over  us,  that  Hamilton 
and  Mofiat  look  at  them  1 "  This  question  receiving  a 
hearty  and  unanimous  affirmation,  he  added  that  their 
white  faces  frightened  the  clouds  away,  and  that  no  rain 
need  be  expected  so  long  as  they  were  in  the  country. 
Shortly  after,  Moflfat  learnt  that  the  unfortunate  man  was 
to  be  speared  on  account  of  his  failures,  and  pleaded  hard, 
and  at  last  successfully,  for  the  preservation  of  his  life, 
' ■  '  6 


82  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


Mothibi,  the  chief,  conducted  him  over  the  plain  towards 
the  Matluarin  River,  and  sent  him  to  his  own  land. 

Though  the  rain-maker  was  removed,  and  therefore  one 
great  danger  taken  away,  yet  a  public  opinion  had  been 
created  opposed  to  the  continued  residence  of  the  mission- 
aries in  tlie  country.  As  they  proceeded  with  their  work 
their  prospects  became  worse  and  worse.  They  were  sus- 
pected of  befriending  the  Bushmen,  because  they  condemned 
the  Bechuana  system  of  vengeance  and  extirpation  practised 
against  them  ;  they  were  told  to  go  to  certain  professors  of 
religion  whose  conduct  out  there  had  been  inconsistent  with 
their  profession,  and  make  them  good  before  attempting  to 
reform  the  Bechuanas ;  and  they  were  still  accused  of  being 
the  cause  of  all  the  drought.  At  length  the  hostility  to- 
wards them  grew  to  such  a  height  that  they  were  informed 
they  must  immediately  leave  the  country,  and  that  measures 
of  a  violent  nature  would  be  resorted  to  if  they  disobeyed. 

One  day,  about  noon,  a  chief  and  a  dozen  of  liis  men 
came  and  seated  themselves  under  the  shadow  of  a  lar^re 
tree  near  Moffixt's  house.  A  secret  council  had  been  held 
in  the  field,  under  pretence  of  a  hunt,  and  the  present  party 
was  a  deputation  to  apprise  the  missionaries  of  the  result. 
They  stood  patiently  to  hear  the  message.  The  chief 
quivered  his  spear  in  his  right  hand,  and  rising,  confronted 
jNIofTat.  Mild  though  he  was,  Moffat  was  in  courage  and 
nerve  a  match  for  the  sternest  and  bravest  of  men.  Before 
the  deputed  chief  and  his  twelve  attendants  he  fearlessly 
lield  Jiis  own — weak  in  himself,  but  strong  in  the  Lord. 
There,  too,  stood  his  intrepid  wife,  an  infant  in  her  arms. 
With  a  steadfast  gaze  the  tall  missionary  looked  the  spear- 
bearing  chief  straight  in  the  eyes,  while  he  listened  to  the 
declaration  that  it  was  the  determination  of  the  chiefs  of 
the  people  that  he  and  his  companions  should  leave  the 
country.  Then  came  the  brave  reply: — "We  have  indeed 
felt  most  reluctant  to  leave,  and  are  now  more  than  ever 


INCREASED  DANGERS  AT  LITHAKO.        83 


resolved  to  abide  by  our  post.  We  pity  you,  for  you  know 
not  what  you  do.  We  have  suffered,  it  is  true ;  and  He 
whose  servants  we  are  has  directed  us  in  His  Word, 
*  When  they  persecute  you  in  one  city,  flee  ye  to  another  ; ' 
but  although  we  have  suffered,  we  do  not  consider  all  that 
has  been  done  to  us  by  the  people  amounts  to  persecution ; 
we  are  prepared  to  expect  it  from  such  as  know  no  better. 
If  you  are  resolved  to  rid  yourselves  of  us,  you  must  resort 
to  stronger  measures,  for  our  hearts  are  with  you.  You 
may  shed  our  blood  or  burn  us  out.  We  know  you  will 
not  touch  our  wives  and  children.  Then  shall  they  who 
sent  us  know,  and  God,  who  sees  and  hears  what  we  do, 
shall  know,  that  we  have  been  persecuted  indeed."  When 
Moffat  had  finished  speaking,  the  chief  looked  at  his  com- 
panions, remarking  to  them,  with  a  significant  shake  of  the 
head,  ''These  men  must  have  ten  lives,  when  they  are  so 
fearless  of  death  ;  there  must  be  something  in  immortality." 
The  meeting  broke  up,  the  deputation  leaving  to  inform 
those  who  had  sent  them  that  these  were  impracticable 
men. 

The  missionaries  were  devoutly  thankful  that  this  inter- 
view closed  so  favourably.  They  were  also  thankful  that 
there  was  no  public  prohibition  issued  against  attendance 
on  Divine  worship ;  a  few  therefore  generally  came.  A 
large  majority  had  never  entered  the  chapel,  being  threatened 
by  their  superiors  if  they  did ;  and  others  would  not  for 
,  their  lives  have  set  a  foot  within  the  threshold.  No  further 
threats  were  made  against  life  ;  and  presently  circumstances 
occurred  which,  threatening  the  Bechuanas  and  the  mission- 
aries with  common  danger,  tended  to  establish  more  friendly 
relations  between  them,  and  led  to  results  most  favourable 
to  the  mission. 


CHAPTER   XII. 


INVASION  BY  THE  MANTATEES. 


OR  a  year  or  more  alarming  rumours  came  from  all 
quarters  of  the  advance  from  the  interior  of  an 
invincible  army,  numerous  as  the  locusts,  carrying 
with  them  everywhere  death  and  desolation.  Some 
of  the  reports  were  of  the  wildest  character.  It  was  said 
that  the  head  of  this  mighty  army  was  a  woman,  that  she 
nourished  it  with  her  own  milk,  and  sent  out  hornets 
before  its  march.  Mr.  Moffat  had  long  felt  a  desire  to  visit 
Makaba,  the  chief  of  the  Bauangketsi,  a  powerful  tribe 
situated  upwards  of  two  hundred  miles  north-east  of 
Lithako.  He  was  anxious  to  become  better  acquainted 
with  the  surrounding  tribes — with  their  localities,  habits, 
and  language.  He  thought,  too,  that  he  might  do  some- 
thing to  promote  friendliness  between  them,  and  so  prepare 
the  way  for  the  wider  spread  of  the  Gospel.  About  this 
time,  receiving  an  ivitation  from  Makaba,  the  path  of  duty 
was  plain  ;  but  Mothibi  and  his  people  were  against  the 
step.  So  strong  was  Mothibi's  opposition  that  on  the  day 
of  departure,  finding  he  could  not  prevail  by  argument,  he 
positively  forbade  those  under  his  control  to  accompany  the 


party.       Mo  fill  t, 


feeling 


no    inclination    to    abandon   his 


INVASION  BY  THE  MANTATEES.  85 


purpose,  started  with  such  men  as  he  had.  He  had  not 
proceeded  far  when  he  ascertained  that  the  invading  force 
was  near  at  hand  ;  that  they  were  known  as  Mantatees,  a 
section  of  the  Basuto  race,  who,  having  been  driven  from 
their  own  country  by  the  Zulus,  had  fallen  back  upon 
weaker  tribes,  and  gathering  strength  with  each  successive 
victory,  were  now  advancing  upon  Lithako. 

Respecting  the  real  name  of  the  Mantatees  there  is  some 
difference  of  opinion.  Stockenstrom,  who  was  familiar  with 
many  of  the  tribe,  says  that  -the  word  Mantatee  signiiies 
"invader,"  or  -'marauder,"  in  the  Bechuana  language,  and 
that  the  tribe  universally  disclaimed  it.  They  are  described 
as  a  tall,  robust  people,  in  features  resembling  the  Bechuanas. 
Moffat,  speaking  from  personal  observation,  says  : — "  This 
barbarous  horde  appeared,  when  all  collected  in  one  body, 
extremely  numerous,  amounting  at  the  very  lowest  compu- 
tation to  about  forty  thousand  souls.  The  men  were  tall 
and  muscular,  and  their  bodies  being  smeared  over  with  a 
mixture  of  charcoal  and  grease,  they  appeared  as  blaci  as 
pitch.  Their  natural  colour  is  scarcely  a  shade  darker  than 
that  of  the  Bechuanas,  whom  in  features  they  also  nearly 
resemble.  Their  language  appears  to  be  merely  a  dialect  of 
the  Bechuana  tongue.  Their  dress  consisted  in  general  of 
prepared  or  tanned  skins,  hanging  loose  over  their  shoulders. 
Some  of  the  chiefs  had  karosses  of  a  superior  description, 
and  not  a  few  wore  very  long  loose  shawls  of  cotton  cloth ; 
but  most  of  the  women  were  almost  destitute  of  clothing, 
having  for  the  greater  part  only  a  small  piece  of  skin  sus- 
pended from  their  loins  to  cover  their  nakedness.  The  men, 
during  the  engagement,  having  thrown  off*  their  mantles, 
were  entirely  naked,  excepting  this  piece  of  skin  tied  about 
their  loins.  Their  ornaments  were  plumes  of  black  ostrich 
feathers  on  their  heads,  large  copper  rings,  sometimes  six  or 
eight  in  number,  round  their  necks,  with  numerous  rings  of 
the  same  metal  on  their  arms  and  legs,  and  rings  or  large 


86  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

plates  hanging  from  their  ears.     Their  weapons  were  spears 
or  assagais,  liattle-axes,  and  clubs ;  and  many  of  tliem  had 
a  weapon  of  a  very  peculiar  construction,   being  an  iron 
blade  of  a  circular  shape,  with  a  cutting  sabre-edge,  fastened 
on  a  stick  with  a  heavy  knobbed  head,  and  used  both  as  a 
missile  and  in  close  combat.     They  had  also  large  shields 
of  bullock's  hide,  which,  like  those  of  the  Caffres,  covered 
almost  the  whole  body."     Referring  to  another  attack  the 
^[antatees   made   on  their   neighbours,   he    says: — "Their 
appearance   was   extremely   fierce    and    savage,    and    their 
attitude  very  menacing.     It  was  evident  that  they  were 
reluctant  to  depart,  which  was  a  convincing  proof  that  a 
night  attack  w^as  premeditated  ;  and  when  it  was  growing 
dark  they  compelled  us  to  retreat,  till  a  few  shots  were  tired 
into  the  air,  when  they  again  fled,  and  we  pursued^  hoping 
to  increase  their  flight.     We  overtook  one,  whom  we  sur- 
rounded for  the  purpose  of  informing  him  who  we  were, 
and  that  we  had  no  intention  of  doing  them  harm.     He 
stood  with  his  shield  and  war-axe  in  his  left  hand,  and  a 
spear  in  his  right,  raised  as  if  in  the  act  of  hurling  it.     I 
confess  I  never  saw  anything  so  fiend-like  as  that  man,  and 
concluded  that,  if  he  was  a  specimen  of  his  tribe,  all  hope 
had   fled    for   the  Baralongs.      His  body  lubricated   with 
grease  and  charcoal ;  a  large  round  cockade  of  black  ostrich 
feathers  on  his  head  ;  his  eyes  glaring  with  rage ;  while  his 
open  mouth,  displaying  his  white  teeth,  poured  forth  the 
most  opprobrious  epithets  and  obscene  curses,  threatening 
to  give  our  flesh  to  the  hyenas  and  our  eyes  to  the  crows, 
as  he  made  a  run  first  at  one  of  us  and  then  at  another. 
One  of  tlie  men,  in  order  to  frighten  him,  fired  a  ball  directly 
over  his  head,  when  he  fell,  and  the  liorsemen  rushed  for- 
ward to  seize  him  before  he  rose,  but  he  was  too  expert, 
and  made  us  quickly  turn  away  in  no  little  confusion ;  and 
liad  it  not  been  for  the  fear  of  losing  his  spear,  it  would 
certainly  have  been  plunged  into  one  of  our  number.      It 


INVASION  BY  THE  MANTATEES.  87 


was  now  becoming  too  dark  to  make  any  further  attempts^ 
and  we  let  him  go,  and  turned  in  the  direction  of  the 
waggons,  which  were  about  seven  miles  distant." 

As  soon  as  Mr.  Moffat  was  assured  of  the  near  approach 
of  the  Mantatees,  he  hastened  back  to  apprise  the  Bechuanas 
of  the  impending  danger ;  and  apprehending  from  their 
weakness  and  cowardice  they  would  easily  fall  a  prey  to 
the  enemy,  determined  to  go  on  to  Griqua  Town  to  secure 
assistance.  This  bold  and  judicious  action  saved  from 
destruction  the  chief  and  people,  who  a  little  while  before 
had  sought  to  drive  their  best  earthly  friends  from  the 
country.  The  Griquas  formed  a  strong  commando,  and 
joining  with  the  Bechuanas,  advanced  against  the  invading 
array.  A  terrible  battle  ensued,  and  after  a  long  and 
sometimes  doubtful  struggle,  and  great  loss  of  life  on  the 
side  of  the  invaders,  they  were  put  to  flight.  As  fighting 
was  not  Moffat's  province,  he  avoided  discharging  a  single 
shot,  though  at  the  request  of  the  chiefs  he  remained  with 
the  commando  as  the  only  means  of  safety.  As  soon  as 
the  enemy  had  fled,  the  Bechuanas  began  to  plunder  and 
despatch  the  wounded  men,  and  to  butcher  the  women  and 
children  with  their  spears  and  war-axes. 

The  compassion  of  the  missionary  was  stirred  by  the 
heartrending  scenes  he  was  compelled  to  witness,  and  his 
influence  was  exerted  to  prevent  these  acts  of  cruelty.  By 
galloping  in  among  them,  he  deterred  many  of  the  Bechu- 
anas from  their  barbarous  purpose.  It  was  distressing  to 
see  mothers  and  infants  rolled  in  blood,  and  the  living  babe 
in  the  arms  of  a  dead  mother.  The  women,  seeing  that 
through  Moffat's  influence  mercy  was  shewn  them,  instead 
of  fleeing,  generally  sat  down,  and  baring  their  bosoms, 
exclaimed,  "  I  am  a  woman,  I  am  a  woman  ! "  The  men, 
struggling  with  death,  would  raise  themselves  from  the 
ground  and  discharge  their  arrows  at  any  within  their 
reach,  and  several  times  the  missionary  narrowly  escaped 


88  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

llioir  spears  and  war-axes  while  he  was  busy  in  rescuing 
the  women  and  children. 

Reviewing  these  events,  Dr.  Pliilip  judiciously  and  de- 
voutly observes  : — "We  cannot  help  noticing  with  gratitude 
the  hand  of  God  in  ail  the  circumstances  connected  with 
the  deliverance  of  our  missionary  friends  and  the  people  of 
Lithako.  Had  Mr.  Moffat  not  undertaken  the  journey  he 
proposed,  lie  might  have  remained  ignorant  of  the  approach 
of  the  enemy ;  or  had  he  gone  forward  on  his  journey 
without  hearing  of  them,  as  he  might  have  done  in  that 
country,  Lithako  must  have  fallen,  and  he  himself  and  the 
mission  families  might  have  been  involved  in  the  same 
destruction ;  and  had  he  been  spared  to  return  from  his 
visit  to  Makaba,  one  cannot  contemplate  him,  even  in  ima- 
gination, standing  on  the  ruins  of  Lithako  and  treading 
on  the  ashes  of  his  murdered  wife  and  children,  without 
shuddering  with  horror !  But  the  circumstances  which 
indicate  an  invisible  arm  in  the  preservation  of  our  friends 
do  not  stop  here.  Had  he  delayed  his  journey,  or  had  he 
deferred  calling  in  the  Griquas,  whatever  escape  might 
have  been  provided  for  him  and  our  other  missionary 
friends,  Mothibi  and  his  people  would  have  been  ruined. 
The  influence  of  the  missionaries  upon  them  would  in  all 
prol^ability  have  been  lost,  and  their  circumstances  might 
have  been  rendered  so  desperate  as  to  preclude  all  hope  of 
being  of  any  service  to  them  in  future." 

The  circumstances  connected  with  the  invasion  of  the 
Mantatees  made  a  marked  impression  upon  the  chief 
Mothibi  and  his  people  in  favour  of  the  missionaries,  whose 
self-sacrificing  conduct  they  could  not  but  feel  and  acknow- 
ledge. They  wondered  that  they  remained  in  the  country 
when  they  might  have  escaped  to  the  Colony  with  com- 
paratively little  loss  of  property,  and  they  did  not  hesitate 
to  express  their  wonder  with  evident  admiration.  Advan- 
tage was  taken  of  this  state  of  things  to  obtain  a  new  site 


INVASION  BY  THE  MANTATEES.  89 

for  the  mission,  the  place  which  they  occupied  being  in 
many  respects  unsuitable.  Owing  to  the  succession  of  dry 
seasons,  there  was  every  prospect,  from  the  diminution  of  the 
fountain  that  supplied  theni  with  water,  of  its  becoming 
still  more  trying.  A  place  eight  miles  distant,  and  about 
three  miles  below  the  Kuruman  fountain,  was  examined, 
and  appeared  from  the  locality  to  be  a  more  eligible  spot 
than  any  other.  The  Kuruman  fountain  issues,  full  and 
flowing,  from  caverns  in  a  little  hill,  composed  of  the  blue 
and  grey  limestone,  mixed  with  flint.  Its  noble  stream, 
though  pure  and  wholesome,  ^  is  rather  calcareous.  Its 
source  must  be  at  a  very  great  distance,  for  the  rains  falling 
on  the  hills  and  plains  for  forty  miles  round,  in  any  one  year, 
could  not  supply  such  a  stream  even  for  a  month.  Indeed, 
throughout  this  limestone  basin  fountains  are  very  pre- 
carious ;  even  the  Kuruman  does  not  send  forth  its  former 
torrents,  and  like  many  other  African  streams,  it  is  largest 
at  its  source,  and,  partly  by  evaporation  and  partly  by 
absorption,  is  completely  lost  about  ten  miles  to  the  north- 
west. 

While  arrangements  were  pending  for  removing  to 
Kuruman,  Mr.  Moffat,  taking  with  him  the  chief's  son  and 
one  of  the  principal  men,  paid  a  visit  to  Cape  Town.  It 
was  hoped  that  the  visit  would  make  a  favourable  impres- 
sion on  the  young  prince  and  his  companion,  and  convince 
them,  and  through  them  their  people,  that  the  missionaries 
had  friends,  and  were  not  obliged  to  live  among  the  Bechu- 
anas  because  they  could  not  live  anywhere  else.  They  were 
delighted  with  their  reception  at  Cape  Town,  and  with 
everything  they  saw.  It  was  with  great  difficulty  they 
were  prevailed  upon  to  go  on  board  one  of  the  ships  in  the 
bay.  The  size  of  the  hull  and  the  height  of  the  masts 
astounded  them.  When  they  saw  a  boy  mount  the  rigging 
and  go  to  the  masthead,  they  thought  he  was  an  ape. 
W^hen  they  entered  the  cabin,   and  looked  down  into  the 


90  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


liold,  they  thought  the  ship  was  resting  on  the  bottom  of 
the  ocean.  *'  Do  these  water-houses,"  said  they,  "  unyoke 
like  waggon-oxen  every  night  1 "  "  Do  they  graze  in  the 
sea  to  keep  them  alive  1 "  When  asked  what  they  thought 
of  a  ship  in  full  sail  that  was  approaching  the  roads, 
they  replied,  "We  have  no  thoughts  here;  we  hope  to 
think  again  when  we  get  on  shore."  This  visit  to  the 
Cape  gave  great  satisfaction  to  all  parties.  Having  com- 
pleted the  business  for  which  it  had  been  made,  Moffat 
prepared  to  return ;  and  after  enduring  for  two  months  the 
tedium  and  monotony  of  an  African  journey,  reached  the 
station  in  May  1824.  The  original  engagement  for  the  land 
on  which  to  establish  their  new  station  was  ratified,  and 
forthwith  they  proceeded  to  settle  themselves  at  Kuruman. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 


MOFFAT  S  VISIT  TO  THE  CHIEF  MAKABA. 


|OOISr  after  the  removal  to  the  Kuruman,  Mr.  Moffat 
fullilled  a  promise  he  had  made  to  visit  Makaba, 
king  of  the  Bauangketsi.  As  he  and  his  party 
proceeded  on  their  journey  they  travelled  over  a 
country  of  limestone,  covered  v>dth  the  hookthorn  acacia  in 
some  places ;  in  others,  adorned  with  trees  and  shrubs  of 
various  kinds,  and  alive  with  an  abundance  of  game.  The 
principal  part  of  the  game  obtained  by  the  natives  they 
caught  in  pitfalls.  Some  of  the  holes  were  sixteen  feet 
deep,  where  even  the  tall  giraffe  and  ponderous  rhinoceros 
were  entrapped.  Some  of  them  were  formed  like  a  funnel, 
others  were  an  oblong  square,  with  sharp  stakes  fastened  in 
♦  the  bottom ;  the  earth  taken  out  was  generally  scattered, 
and  the  opening  covered  over  with  sticks  and  grass. 

The  latter  part  of  the  journey  was  through  pleasant 
scenery,  and  as  they  approached  the  Molapo  River,  on  the 
distant  horizon  hills  in  the  Bauangketsi  country  were  seen, 
apparently  covered  with  timber,  indicating  a  fertile  region. 
When  they  reached  Pitsan,  the  principal  town  of  the 
Barolong  tribe,  Tauane,  the  chief,  tried  to  dissuade  Moffat 
from  visiting  Makaba.    Pitsan  contained  upwards  of  twenty 


92  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


thousand  people,  all  of  whom  had  congregated  there  after 
the  attack  of  the  Mantatees.  As  the  party  remained  there 
over  the  Sabbath  the  missionary  held  Divine  service,  and 
conversed  with  the  principal  men  on  the  subject  of  a 
missionary  settling  among  them. 

Outside  Makaba's  town  they  were  met  by  messengers 
whom  he  had  sent  out  to  welcome  them,  and  who  said  the 
chief  had  not  slept  for  joy  because  of  their  approach.  As 
they  reached  the  top  of  the  hill,  at  the  foot  of  which  lay 
the  capital  of  the  Bauangketsi,  and  looked  to  the  north, 
they  were  surprised  at  the  immense  number  of  towns  which 
lay  scattered  in  the  valleys.  Makaba,  standing  at  the  door 
of  one  of  his  houses,  welcomed  them  on  their  approach,  and 
provided  them  with  refreshment.  About  sunset  he  sent 
one  of  his  wives  to  deliver  a  sack  full  of  thick  milk ;  and 
next  morning  he  sent  for  slaughter  three  oxen,  and  in  the 
course  of  the  day  boiled  corn,  pottage,  and  beer,  Moffat 
repeatedly  endeavoured  to  interest  the  chief  in  mission 
work,  and  offered  to  send  a  missionary  to  labour  among  his 
people ;  to  which  he  replied,  that  he  hoped  in  future  no 
grass  would  .be  allowed  to  grow  on  the  road  between  the 
Kuruman  and  his  country,  and  that  men  of  peace  should 
live  in  every  nation  to  keep  up  friendly  intercourse.  But 
his  ideas  concerning  the  benefit  to  be  derived  from  the 
residence  of  a  missionary  were  very  vague,  and  he  resolutely 
refrained  from  conversing  on  religious  subjects.  Sometimes, 
when  the  missionary  had  been  trying  to  arrest  his  attention 
by  repeating  something  striking  in  the  works  of  God,  or  in 
the  life  of  the  Saviour,  lie  would  interrupt  by  asking  a 
question  as  distant  as  the  antipodes  from  the  subject. 

The  time  for  Mr.  Moffat's  return  to  Kuruman  was  ap- 
proaching, and  he  felt  miserable  at  the  prospect  of  leaving 
without  the  satisfaction  of  having  told  Makaba  what  was 
the  only  object  of  a  missionary,  especially  as  he  had  pro- 
fessed his  wish  to  have  one.     He  therefore  determined  to 


VISIT  TO  THE  CHIEF  MAKABA.  93 


pay  him  a  formal  visit  for  this  purpose.  One  Sabbath 
morning,  after  prayer,  taking  some  of  his  company  with 
him,  they  went  into  the  town,  and  found  the  chief  seated 
amidst  a  large  number  of  his  principal  men,  all  engaged 
either  preparing  skins,  cutting  them,  sewing  mantles,  or 
telling  nesvs.  Arrived  in  the  presence  of  the  great  man, 
surrounded  by  his  nobles  and  counsellors,  he  said  he  had 
come  to  tell  him  good  tidings.  The  chief's  countenance 
lighted  up  in  the  expectation  of  hearing  about  some  subject 
or  other  congenial  to  his  savage  disposition ;  but  when  he 
found  that  the  tidings  were  only  about  God  and  Christ  and 
salvation,  he  resumed  his  knife  and  jackal's  skin,  and  began, 
to  hum  a  native  air. 

Though,  however,  Makaba  was  inattentive,  one  of  his 
nobles  appeared  struck  with  the  character  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  especially  with  the  account  of  His 
miracles ;  and  on  hearing  that  He  had  raised  the  dead, 
exclaimed,  "What  an  excellent  doctor  He  must  have 
been ! "  This  led  to  some  further  talk  as  to  His  power  in 
the  resurrection  of  the  dead  at  the  last  day.  The  ear  of 
Makaba  was  opened,  and  in  a  quick  and  astonished  tone, 
he  exclaimed,  "What!  what  are  these  words  about  1  The 
dead,  shall  they  arise  1 "  "  Yes,  all  the  dead  shall  arise.'* 
"Will  my  father  arise'?"  "Yes,  your  father  will  arise." 
"Will  all  the  slain  in  battle  arise T'  "  ^es."  "And  will 
all  that  have  been  killed  and  devoured  by  lions,  tigers, 
hyenas,  and  crocodiles  again  revive  ? "  "  Yes,  and  come  to 
judgment."  "And  will  those  whose  bodies  have  been  left 
to  waste  and  wither  on  the  desert  plains  and  be  scattered 
to  the  winds,  again  arise  % "  he  asked,  with  a  kind  of  triumph. 
"  Yes,"  was  the  reply  ;  "  not  one  will  be  left  behind."  Look- 
ing then  at  Moflfat  for  a  few  moments  with  a  searching 
gaze,  he  turned  to  his  people,  and  exclaimed,  "  Hark,  ye 
wise  men,  whoever  is  among  you,  did  you  ever  hear  such 
news    as    this  1      This  is  strange  and   unheard   of  news 


94  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

indeed  ! "  Then  addressing  himself  to  the  missionary,  he 
said,  "  Father,  I  love  you  much.  Your  visit  and  your 
presence  have  made  my  heart  as  white  as  milk.  The 
words  of  your  mouth  are  sweet  as  honey,  but  the  words  of 
a  resurrection  are  too  great  to  be  heard.  I  do  not  wish  to 
liear  again  about  the  dead  rising.  The  dead  cannot  arise  1 
The  dead  must  not  arise!"  "Why'?"  was  the  inquiry. 
"Why  must  not  one  speak  of  a  resurrection T'  Raising 
and  uncovering  his  arm,  and  shaking  his  hand  as  if  quiver- 
ing a  spear,  he  solemnly  answered,  "  I  have  slain  my 
thousands,  and  shall  they  arise  1"  The  dawning  of  the 
light  of  revelation  upon  his  dark  mind  awoke  his  slumbering 
conscience,  and  remorse  and  fear  began  to  torment  him  for 
the  countless  deeds  of  rapine  and  murder  which  had  marked 
his  past  career. 

The  parting  between  the  missionary  and  the  mighty  chief 
was  satisfactory  and  pleasant  on  both  sides.  The  man 
aojainst  whom  Moffat  had  been  warned  as  a  dans-erous 
enem3^  in  whose  hands  his  life  would  not  be  safe,  he  found 
a  most  agreeabiii  and  hospitable  host.  Oii  his  return,  how- 
ever, Moffat  nearly  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  marauding 
Mantatees,  as  they  surged  onward  in  their  devastating 
course  among  the  tri]3es  of  the  interior.  For  several  days 
the  lives  of  himself  and  his  companions  were  endangered ; 
but  God  was  his  merciful  and  strong  refuge,  and  he  thank- 
fully bent  his  course  at  last  to  his  home.  During  this  time 
Mrs.  Moffat,  left  alone  at  the  station,  was  exposed  to  the 
most  distressing  suspense. 

About  this  period  a  party  of  marauders  from  the  Orange 
Kiver  collected  in  the  Long  Mountains,  some  forty  miles 
west  of  the  station,  attacked  several  villages  along  the 
Kuruman  River,  and  were  preparing  to  attack  the  mission 
premises.  This,  of  course,  excited  in  Mrs.  Moffat's  mind 
much  alarm.  She  knew  their  desperate  character,  and 
feared  they  might  be  templed  to  attack  the  house  for  the 


VISIT  TO  THE  CHIEF  MAKABA.  95 

sake  of  the  ammunition  they  might  get  there.  One  evening 
the  servant  came  in  wringing  her  hands,  and  in  great  dis- 
tress said  the  Mantatees  were  on  their  way  to  the  Kuruman. 
This  was  no  pleasant  news  to  one  who,  witli  two  babes,  had 
no  means  of  escape.  A  message  was  sent  to  Mothibi,  the 
chief,  who  said  the  news  was  too  true,  but  he  thought  there 
was  no  danger  till  the  mornin*]:.  The  noble  woman  com- 
mended  herself  and  her  little  ones  to  the  care  of  God,  and 
lay  down  to  sleep.  At  midnight  she  was  awoke  by  a  loud 
rapping  at  the  door ;  Mothibi  had  come  to  announce  the 
dreaded  intelligence  that  the  Mantatees  were  approaching. 
The  sound  of  alarm  and  uproar  was  raised  in  every  part 
of  the  town ;  preparations  were  made  for  a  hasty  flight ; 
warriors  were  assembling;  each  succeeding  messenger  brought 
fresh  alarms  :  but  about  noon  the  next  day  it  was  ascertained 
that  the  dreaded  invaders  had  directed  their  course  away 
from  the  Kuruman. 

This  glad  intelligence  scattered  all  gloomy  fears,  and  filled 
every  heart  with  joy ;  but  the  news  that  made  the  people 
generally  so  glad  produced  in  Mrs.  Moffat  the  greatest 
terror,  as  the  conviction  flashed  across  her  mind  that  if  the 
Mantatees  were  on  the  march  to  the  Barolongs  as  reported, 
nothing  less  than  a  miracle  could  save  her  husband  from 
destruction,  as  he  would  be  returning  through  that  region 
at  that  time.  Though  the  people  saw  the  danger,  and  sym- 
pathised with  her  in  her  fears  and  distress,  no  one  could  be 
♦persuaded  to  2;o  in  search.  The  very  idea  of  her  husband's 
falling  in  with  such  a  horde  of  savages  was  almost  unendur- 
able, and  for  three  weeks  she  was  in  a  state  of  the  extremest 
mental  agony.  Nothing  but  incessant  prayer  sustained  her. 
During  this  period  continual  reports  came  to  hand  that 
Moffat  had  been  killed.  One  man  had  seen  a  piece  of  the 
waggon ;  another  had  found  a  part  of  his  saddle ;  and  some 
had  picked  up  portions  of  his  linen  stained  with  Ijlood.  At 
last  two  or  three  men  were  prevailed  on  to  go  and  ascertain 


96 


LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


the  facts,  and  they  started  on  their  expedition  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  very  day  on  which  Moffat  made  his  appearance. 
Thus,  though  there  had  been  abundant  cause  for  alarm,  and 
for  the  exercise  of  prayer  and  trust  in  God,  yet  through  His 
gracious  providence  their  fears  were  turned  to  rejoicings 
and  songs  of  praise. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 


FIRST    YEARS    AT    KURUMAN. 


jOFFAT'S  position  during  the  first  years  of  his  life 
at  Kuruman  was  a  difficult  one  in  many  ways.  He 
shall  state  some  of  the  trials  himself : — "  Some  of 
our  newly-arrived  assistants,  finding  themselves  in  a 
country  where  the  restraints  of  law  were  unknown,  and  not 
being,  under  the  influence  of  religion,  would  not  submit  to 
the  privations  which  we  patiently  endured,  but  murmured 
exceedingly.  Armed  robbers  were  continually  making 
inroads,  threatening  death  and  extirpation.  We  were  com- 
pelled to  work  daily  at  every  species  of  labour,  most  of 
which  was  very  heavy,  under  a  burning  sun  and  in  a  dry 
climate,  where  only  one  shower  had  fallen  during  the  pre- 
ceding twelve  months.  These  are  only  imperfect  samples  of 
our  engagements  for  several  years  at  the  new  station,  while 
at  the  same  time  the  language,  which  was  entirely  oral, 
had  to  be  acquired.  A  spelling-book,  catechism,  and  small 
portions  of  scripture  were  prepared,  and  even  sent  to  the 
Cape  to  be  printed,  in  1825  ;  but,  as  if  our  measure  of 
disappointment  was  not  full,  they  were  by  some  mistake 
sent  to  England,  and  before  they  could  possibly  return  to 
our  station  we  might  have  had  several  improved  editions." 


98  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D,D. 


The  missionary  had  long  felt  that  the  acquisition  of  the 
language  was  an  object  of  the  first  importance.  At 
Lithako  the  circumstances  were  most  unfavourable,  as  there 
•was  neither  place  nor  time  for  study,  and  no  interpreter 
worthy  the  name.  "Mary,"  said  Moffat  one  day  to  his 
wife,  "this  is  hard  work."  "It  is  hard  work,  my  love," 
she  said  ;  "  but  take  courage,  our  lives  shall  be  given  us  for 
a  prey."  "But  think,  my  dear,"  he  replied,  "how  long  w^e 
have  been  preaching  to  this  people,  and  no  fruits  yet 
appear."  The  wise  woman,  it  is  said,  rejoined  after  this 
manner: — "The  gospel  has  not  yet  been  preached  to  them 
in  their  own  tongue  wherein  they  were  born.  They  have 
heard  only  through  interpreters,  and  interpreters  who  have 
themselves  no  just  understanding  or  real  love  of  the  truth. 
We  must  not  expect  the  blessing  till  you  are  able,  from 
your  own  lips  and  in  their  own  language,  to  convey  it 
through  their  ears  into  their  hearts."  "  From  that  hour," 
said  Mr.  Moffat,  in  relating  the  conversation,  "  I  gave 
myself  with  untiring  diligence  to  the  acquisition  of  the 
language." 

At  first  only  a  few  words  were  collected,  and  these  were 
very  incorrect,  owing  to  the  ignorance  of  the  interpreter. 
It  was  something  like  groping  in  the  dark,  and  many 
ludicrous  blunders  were  made.  The  native  was^s  took 
pleasure,  when  giving  him  sentences  and  forms  of  speech, 
in  leading  him  into  all  sorts  of  egregious  mistakes  and 
blunders.  Though,  however,  he  had  to  pay  in  this  coin  for 
his  credulity,  he  learned  something.  Perseverance  was 
ultimately  crowned  with  success.  Of  that  success  we  shall 
presently  have  to  record  a  series  of  signal  illustrations  and 
proofs.  The  printing-press  of  Kuruman  has  been  one  of  the 
greatest  blessings  to  South  Africa ;  but  the  history  of  its 
operations  require  a  chapter  to  itself. 

For  several  years  the  region  had  suffered  from  great 
drought;  but  in  182G  it  was  blessed  with  plentiful  rains, 


FIRST  YEARS  AT  KURVMAN.  99 


and  the  earth  grew  verdant,  and  gave  promise  of  plenty. 
Soon,  however,  the  hopes  of  abundance  were  cut  off  by- 
swarms  of  locusts  which  infested  every  part  of  the  country, 
and  devoured  every  kind  of  vegetation.  Moffat's  descrip- 
tion of  them  is  most  graphic,  and  though  lengthy,  cannot 
well  be  abridged: — "They  might  be  seen  passing  over  like 
an  immense  cloud,  extending  from  the  earth  to  a  consider- 
able height,  producing  with  their  wings  a  great  noise. 
They  always  proceed  nearly  in  the  direction  of  the  wind, 
those  in  advance  descending  to  eat  anything  they  light  upon, 
and  rising  in  the  rear  as  the  cloud  advances.  '  They  have 
no  king,  but  they  go  forth,  all  of  them,  by  bands,'  and 
are  gathered  together  in  one  place  in  the  evening,  where 
they  rest,  and  from  their  immense  numbers  they  weigh 
down  the  shrubs,  and  lie  at  times  one  on  the  other  to  the 
depth  of  several  inches.  In  the  morning  when  the  sun 
begins  to  diffuse  warmth,  they  take  wing,  leaving  a  large 
extent  without  one  vestige  of  verdure ;  even  the  plants  and 
shrubs  are  barked.  Wherever  they  halt  for  the  night  or 
alight  during  the  day,  they  become  a  prey  to  other  animals, 
and  are  eaten  not  only  by  beasts  of  prey  but  by  all  kinds  of 
game,  serpents,  lizards,  and  frogs.  When  passing  through 
the  air,  kites,  vultures,  crows,  and  particularly  the  locust 
bird,  as  it  is  called,  may  be  seen  devouring  them.  When  a 
swarm  alights  on  gardens,  or  even  fields,  the  crop  for  one 
season  is  destroyed.  I  have  observed  a  field  of  young 
maize  devoured  in  the  space  of  two  hours.  They  eat  not 
only  tobacco  and  everything  vegetable,  but  also  flannel  and 
linen.  The  natives  embrace  every  opportunity  of  gathering 
them,  which  can  be  done  during  the  night.  Whenever 
the  cloud  alights  at  a  place  not  very  distant  from  a  town, 
the  inhabitants  turn  out  with  sacks,  and  often  with  pack- 
oxen  gather  loads,  and  return  the  next  day  with  millions. 
It  has  happened  that,  in  gathering  them,  individuals  have 
been  bitten  by  serpents ;  and  on  one  occasion  a  woman  had 


100  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

been  travelling  several  miles  with  a  large  bundle  of  locusts 
on  her  head^  when  a  serpent,  which  had  been  put  into  the 
sack  with  them,  found  its  way  out.  The  woman  supposing 
it  to  be  a  thong  dangling  about  her  shoulders,  laid  hold  of  it 
with  her  hand,  and  feeling  that  it  was  alive,  instantly 
precipitated  both  to  the  ground  and  fled.  The  locusts  are 
prepared  for  eating  by  simple  boiling,  or  rather  steaming, 
as  they  are  put  into  a  large  pot  with  a  little  water,  and 
covered  closely  up  ;  after  boiling  for  a  short  time  they  are 
taken  out  and  spread  on  mats  in  the  sun  to  dry,  when  they 
are  winnowed,  something  like  corn,  to  clear  them  of  their 
legs  and  wings  ;  and  when  perfectly  dry,  are  put  into  sacks, 
or  laid  upon  the  house  floor  in  a  heap.  The  natives  eat  them 
whole,  adding  a  little  salt  when  they  can  obtain  it ;  or  they 
pound  them  in  a  wooden  mortar,  and  when  they  have 
reduced  them  to  something  like  meal,  they  mix  them  with  a 
little  water  and  make  a  kind  of  cold  stir-about. 

*'  When  locusts  abound,  the  natives  become  quite  fat,  and 
would  even  reward  any  old  lady  who  said  that  she  had 
coaxed  them  to  alisrht  within  reach  of  the  inhabitants. 
They  are,  on  the  whole,  not  bad  food,  and  when  hunger  has 
made  them  palatable,  are  eaten  as  a  matter  of  course.  When 
well  fed  they  are  almost  as  good  as  shrimps.  There  is  a 
species  not  eatable,  with  reddish  wings,  larger  than  those 
described,  and  which,  though  less  numerous,  are  more 
destructive.  The  exploits  of  these  armies,  fearful  as  they 
are,  bear  no  comparison  to  the  devastation  they  make  before 
they  are  able  to  fly,  in  which  state  they  are  called  '  boyane.' 
They  receive  a  new  name  in  every  stage  of  their  growth, 
till  they  reach  maturity,  when  they  are  called  'letsie.' 
They  never  emerge  from  the  sand  where  they  were  deposited 
as  eggs  till  rain  has  fallen  to  raise  grass  for  the  young 
progeny.  In  their  course,  from  which  nothing  can  divert 
them,  they  appear  like  a  dark  red  stream,  extending  often 
more  than  a  mile  broad,  and  from  their  incessant  hopping, 


FIRST  YEARS  AT  KURUMAN:  101 


the  dust  appears  as  if  alive.  Nothing  but  a  broad  and 
rapid  torrent  could  arrest  their  progress,  and  that  only  by- 
drowning  them ;  and  if  one  reached  the  opposite  shore,  it 
would  keep  the  original  direction.  A  small  rivulet  avails 
nothing,  as  they  swim  dexterously.  A  line  of  fire  is  no 
barrier,  as  they  leap  into  it  till  it  is  extinguished,  and  the 
others  walk  over  the  dead.  Walls  and  houses  form  no 
impediment ;  they  climb  the  very  chimneys,  either  obliquely 
or  straight  over  such  obstacles,  just  as  their  instinct  leads 
them.  All  other  earthly  powers,  from  the  fiercest  lion  to  a 
marshalled  army,  are  nothing  compared  with  these  diminu- 
tive insects.  The  course  they  have  followed  is  stripped  of 
every  leaf  or  blade  of  verdure.  It  is  enough  to  make  the 
inhabitants  of  a  village  turn  pale  to  hear  that  they  are 
coming  in  a  straight  line  to  their  gardens.  When  a  country 
is  not  extensive,  and  is  bounded  by  the  sea,  the  scourge  is 
soon  over,  the  winds  carrying  them  away  like  clouds  to  the 
watery  waste,  where  they  alight  to  rise^no  more.  Thus  the 
immense  flights  which  pass  to  the  south  and  east  rarely 
return,  but  fresh  supplies  are  always  pouring  down  from 
the  north." 

In  the  same  year  Moffat  paid  a  visit  to  the  Barolongs, 
near  the  Malapo,  that  he  might  devote  himself  more  closely 
to  the  study  of  the  language.  His  journey  lay  over  a  wild 
and  dreary  country,  and  thinly  inhabited.  One  night  they 
came  across  no  fewer  than  six  full-grown  lions  and  a  cub, 
,  and  knew  not  how  soon  any  one  of  them,  fearless  of  the 
travellers'  small  hre,  might  rush  in  among  them ;  but  the 
lions  were  apparently  as  distrustful  of  them  as  they  were  of 
the  lions.  The  few  natives  that  he  fell  in  with  furnished 
the  saddest  proofs  of  ignorance  and  depravity.  The  descrip- 
tion he  gave  of  the  character  of  God,  and  the  sinful  and 
ruined  condition  of  men  only  amused  them,  and  drew  forth 
expressions  of  pity  that  he  should  talk  such  foolishness. 
At  two  of  the  villages  of  the  Barolongs  he  spent  ten  weeks 


102  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


studying  the  language.  The  people  were  kind,  and  his 
blunders  in  conversation  gave  rise  to  many  bursts  of 
laughter.  No  one  would  correct  a  word  or  sentence  till  he 
or  she  had  mimicked  the  original  so  effectually  as  to  give 
great  merriment  to  others.  Every  opportunity  was  em- 
braced to  try  to  instruct  them,  but  all  the  preaching  and 
talking  seemed  like  casting  seed  on  the  wayside  or  the  rock. 
Their  highest  happiness  consisted  in  having  an  abundance 
of  meat.  The  missionary  found  the  place  not  very  favour- 
able to  study,  after  all,  and  lie  prepared  to  return.  Before 
leaving  he  received  a  visit  from  Sebegne,  the  son  of 
Makaba,  who  was  now  king  of  the  Bauangketsi,  in  the 
stead  of  his  late  father.  He  desired  Moffat  to  go  and  live 
with  him  and  his  people,  and  when  informed  that  this  was 
not  possible,  at  least  at  present,  he  said  at  parting,  "Well, 
then,  trust  me  as  you  trusted  my  father." 

The  Sabbath  before  Moffat  left  he  2:athered  the  Barolonos 
together  and  preached  his  last  discourse  to  them,  exhorting 
them  to  forsake  their  sins  and  believe  in  Jesus  Christ  the 
Saviour.  Having  reached  his  home  at  Kuruman,  he  could 
not  but  feel  grateful  for  the  comforts  that  surrounded  him 
there,  and  the  progress  he  had  been  able  to  make  in  the 
language.  One  of  the  difficulties  of  a  missionary  residence 
in  the  country  at  that  time  was  the  uncertainty  of  com- 
munication. It  was  not  easy  to  convey  letters,  owing  to  a 
dangerous  desert  path,  and  the  tribes  living  in  constant 
suspicion  of  each  other.  Often  ambassadors  never  returned, 
and  trading  parties  were  entirely  cut  off.  Postmen  and 
carriers  were  not  easily  found,  though  they  were  safe  if 
known  to  belong  to  the  missionaries.  More  than  once 
Moffat  found  it  difficult  to  convince  a  messenger  that  the 
letter  would  not  say  a  word  to  him  on  the  road,  and  part  of 
a  journal  and  a  letter  to  Mrs.  Moffat  were  thrown  away 
from  this  superstitious  fear. 

About  the  year  1828  our  missionary  began  to  see  some 


FIRST  YEARS  AT  KURUMAF.  103 


fruit  of  his  labours  at  Kuruman.  The  prospect,  which  had 
hitherto  been  so  dark  that  there  was  some  talk  on  the  part 
of  the  Directors  in  London  of  abandoninsj  the  station  as 
hopeless,  began  to  brighten.  Some  thousands  of  the  natives 
had  gathered  near  them  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley, 
and  would  collect  in  different  parts  of  the  town  for  instruc- 
tion. They  manifested  a  greater  desire  to  attend  to  the 
Gospel,  and  though  there  was  nothing  like  true  conversion, 
there  were  indications  of  coming  blessing — enough  to  excite 
thanksgiving  and  hope.  Aid  in  the  erection  of  a  church  and 
school-house  was  voluntarily  and  cheerfully  given.  Great 
improvements  appeared  in  the  social  habits  of  the  people. 
Their  greasy  skins  were  covered  with  decent  .  raiment. 
During  public  worship  those  who  were  present  behaved  with 
greater  propriety  and  decorum.  The  arts  of  civilized  life 
were  to  some  extent  studied  and  became  better  known. 
Some  who  had  years  before  regarded  a  waggon  as  a 
"  walking-house,"  and  gazed  at  it  with  wonder,  now  learned 
to  make  one.  As  they  stood  around  the  forge  while  Moffat 
blew  the  bellows,  or  smote  the  iron  on  the  anvil,  his  long 
black  beard  tied  in  a  knot  at  the  back  of  his  neck  to  escape 
the  sparks,  they  learned  something  of  the  usefulness  and 
pleasure  and  dignity  of  labour.  As  they  assembled  at  the 
doorway  of  the  room  where  a  printing-press  had  been  put 
\up,  they  stared  with  astonishment  at  the  process  by  which 
sheets  of  white  paper,  after  disappearing  for  a  moment, 
came  again  to  view  covered  with  letters,  conveying  to  them 
in  their  own  lano-uacje  the  word  of  God, 

At  last  the  set  time  to  favour  Zion  had  come.  "  The 
moral  wilderness,"  says  Moffat,  "was  now  about  to  blossom. 
Sable  cheeks  bedewed  with  tears  attracted  our  observation. 
To  see  females  weep  was  nothing  extraordinary ;  it  was, 
according  to  Bechuana  notions,  their  province,  and  theirs 
alone.  Men  would  not  weep.  After  having  by  the  rite  of 
circumcision  become  men,  they  scorned  to  shed  a  tear.     In 


104  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


family  or  national  afflictions  it  was  the  woman's  work  to 
weep  and  wail,  the  man's  to  sit  in  sullen  silence,  often 
brooding  deeds  of  revenge  and  death.  The  simple  Gospel 
now  melted  their  flinty  hearts,  and  eyes  now  wept  which 
never  before  shed  the  tear  of  hallowed  sorrow.  ISTotwith- 
standing  our  earnest  desires  and  fervent  prayers,  we  were 
taken  by  surprise.  We  had  so  long  been  accustomed  to 
indifference  that  we  felt  unprepared  to  look  on  a  scene 
which  perfectly  overwhelmed  our  minds." 

The  formation  of  the  first  native  church  in  Kuruman  took 
place  in  1829,  in  the  presence  of  strangers  from  all  parts  of 
the  region  around.  The  whole  of  the  first  service  was  con- 
ducted in  the  language  of  the  country.  Hymns  and  prayers, 
lessons  and  sermon,  were  all  in  Sechuana ;  the  preparatory 
examination  of  candidates  for  membership  had  been  of 
course  in  the  same  tongue,  with  one  exception,  where  the 
person  examined  was  questioned  in  Dutch,  she  being  more 
conversant  with  that  language.  We  may  imagine  the 
feelings  of  the  missionaries  on  that  memorable  occasion. 
The  time  had  come  on  which  all  their  energies  had  been 
fixed,  for  which  they  had  fervently  and  without  ceasing 
prayed ;  the  time  when  they  should  see  a  church  gathered 
from  among  a  people  who  had  so  long  boasted  that  they 
would  never  worship  and  confess  Jesus  as  their  Lord. 
Now  again,  as  often  before  in  the  history  of  the  people  of 
God,  was  fulfilled  the  words  of  the  psalmist,  "  He  that 
goeth  forth  and  wecpeth,  bearing  precious  seed,  shall  doubt- 
less come  again  Mith  rejoicing,  bringing  his  sheaves  with 
him." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

KURUMAN  UNDER  THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  G03PEL. 

HE  Kuruman  Station  was  commenced  in  1824.  A 
tract  of  about  two  miles  of  the  country  was  bought 
by  the  missionaries  from  Mothibe,  and  paid  for  with 
articles  which  Mr.  Moffat  had  brought  from  Cape 
Town.  Plere  were  raised  ultimately  a  large  and  substantial 
church  and  some  good  dwelling-houses,  all  of  stone.  The 
station  was  laid  out  by  Mr.  Moffat,  who  to  his  services  as 
land-surveyor  and  architect  added,  with  equal  diligence,  the 
humbler  but  no  less  necessary  and  arduous  callings  of 
quarrier  of  stones  and  hewer  of  timber.  The  Kuruman 
station  became  one  of  those  marks  in  a  country  which  testify 
to  the  skill  and  power  of  the  founders,  and  to  the  beneficial 
influences  of  Christianity. 

From  a  succession  of  travellers  we  obtain  three  or  four 
charming  pictures  of  the  station,  as  it  has  appeared  at 
different  periods  and  impressed  different  men.  In  1834, 
Dr.  Andrew  Smith,  at  the  head  of  an  exploring  party  sent 
out  to  obtain  a  knowledge  of  the  geography,  the  inhabitants, 
and  the  products  of  the  country,  paid  the  missionaries  a 
visit.  He  was  much  gratified  with  all  he  saw  and  heard ; 
but  found  Moffat  prostrated  by  fever — the  effects  of  over- 


106  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


work  at  translation  and  printing  in  the  hot  season  of  the 
year.  The  missionary,  as  soon  as  he  recovered,  consented  to 
guide  this  expedition  to  the  dominions  of  Moselekatze,  whom 
he  had  previously  visited  himself.  Dr.  Smith,  in  his  pub- 
lished report,  gives  an  interesting  account  of  their  friendly 
reception  by  the  Matabele  king,  and  testifies  that  "  nothing 
could  exceed  the  respect  shown  by  him  for  Mr.  Moffat,  a 
circumstance  which  was  exceedingly  pleasing  to  me, 
inasmuch  as  I  knew  it  was  most  abundantly  merited." 

David  Livingstone  first  visited  Kuruman  in  1840.  After 
speaking  of  his  arrival  at  the  Cape  from  England,  he 
says  : — "  I  shortly  afterwards  went  to  Algoa  Bay,  and  soon 
proceeded  inland  to  the  Kuruman  mission-station,  in  the 
Bechuana  country.  This  station  is  about  seven  hundred 
miles  from  Cape  Town,  and  had  been  established  many 
years  before  by  Messrs.  Hamilton  and  Moffat.  The  mission- 
houses  and  church  are  built  of  stone.  The  gardens,  irrigated 
by  a  rivulet,  are  well  stocked  with  fruit-trees  and  vines,  and 
yield  European  vegetables  and  grain  readily.  The  pleasant- 
ness of  the  place  is  enhanced  by  the  contrast  it  presents  to  the 
surrounding  scenery,  and  the  fact  that  it  owes  all  its  beauty 
to  the  manual  labour  of  the  missionaries.  Externally  it 
presents  a  picture  of  civilised  comfort  to  the  adjacent  tribes  ; 
and  the  printing-press,  worked  by  the  original  founders  of 
the  mission  and  several  younger  men  who  have  entered  into 
their  labours,  gradually  diffuses  the  light  of  Christianity 
through  the  neighbouring  region.  This  oasis  became  doubly 
interesting  to  me,  from  something  like  a  practical  exposition 
of  the  text,  Mark  x.  29 ;  for  after  nearly  four  years  of 
African  life  as  a  bachelor,  I  screwed  up  courage  to  put  a 
question  beneath  one  of  the  fruit-trees,  the  result  of  which 
was  that,  in  1844,  I  became  united  in  marriage  to  IMr. 
Moffat's  eldest  daughter  Mary.  Having  been  born  in  the 
country,  and  being  expert  in  household  matters,  she  was 
always  the  best  spoke  in  the  v/licel  at  home ;  and  wlien  I 


THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  GOSPEL.        107 

took  her  with  me  on  two  occasions  to  Lake  Ngami,  and  far 
beyond,  she  endured  more  than  some  who  have  written 
large  books  of  travels." 

In  another  passage  connected  w^itli  the  life  at  Kuruman 
he  says : — "  In  consequence  of  droughts  at  our  station 
further  inward,  we  were  mainly  dependent  for  supplies  of 
food  on  Kuruman,  and  were  often  indebted  to  the  fruit- 
trees  there,  and  to  Mrs.  MofTat's  kind  foresight  for  the 
continuance  of  good  health. 

"A  native  smith  taught  me  to  weld  iron;  and  having 
acquired  some  further  informatfon  in  this  art  as  well  as  in 
carpentering  and  gardening  from  Mr.  Moffat,  I  was  becoming 
handy  at  most  mechanical  employments  in  addition  to 
medicine  and  preaching.  My  wife  could  make  candles, 
soap,  and  clothes ;  and  thus  we  had  nearly  attained  to  the 
indispensable  accomplishments  of  a  missionary  family  in 
Central  Africa  —  the  husband  to  be  a  jack-of-all-trades 
without  doors,  and  the  wife  a  maid-of-all-work  luithin.^' 

In  1849  the  Rev.  J.  J.  Freeman  visited  Africa,  and  on 
arriving  at  Kuruman  received  a  cordial  welcome  from  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Moffat.  The  village  assumed  in  his  sight  a  pretty 
and  pleasing  appearance,  especially  the  mission  premises, 
with  the  walled  gardens  opposite,  forming  a  street  wide  and 
long.  The  gardens  were  well  stocked  with  fruit  and  vege- 
tables, requiring  much  water,  but  it  was  easily  obtained 
from  the  fountain.  On  the  Sunday  morning  the  chapel  bell 
](;ang  for  early  service.  Breakfasting  at  seven,  all  were 
ready  for  the  schools  at  half-past  eight.  The  infants  were 
taught  by  Miss  Moffat  in  their  school-house ;  more  advanced 
classes  were  grouped  in  the  open  air  or  collected  in  the 
adjacent  buildings,  The  work  of  separate  teaching  was  over 
by  ten,  when  young  and  old  assembled  in  the  chapel  for 
public  worship.  The  large  and  lofty  building  was  comfort- 
ably filled  with  men,  women,  and  children,  for  the  most  part 
decently  dressed.     The  day  passed  in  a  succession  of  services 


108  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

similar  to  those  of  the  morning.  Monday  came,  and  Mr. 
Freeman  inspected  Mr.  Moffat's  printing-office  and  bindery. 
Although  till  that  time  the  whole  burden  of  these  establish- 
ments had  rested  on  one  pair  of  shoulders,  yet  they  were  as 
orderly,  if  not  as  complete,  as  if  they  had  been  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Paternoster  Row.  Mr.  Freeman,  who  had  been 
sent  out  to  inspect  the  stations  of  the  London  Missionary 
Society  and  report  on  their  condition,  returned  to  England 
with  a  deep  impression  of  the  value  of  the  station  as  on  the 
high  road  to  the  interior,  and  as  a  union  and  centre  of 
influence  to  all  around. 

Mr.  James  Chapman,  the  African  traveller,  visited  Kuru- 
man  in  1854,  and  thus  describes  what  he  saw  : — "  Next  day 
I  rode  over  to  Kuruman,  where  I  found  my  friend  Mr. 
Thompson,  who  afterwards  travelled  in  company  with  us. 
Here  I  was  introduced  to  the  worthy  missionaries,  Messrs. 
Moffat  and  Asliton,  and  their  families,  the  meniory  of  whose 
uniform  kindness  I  shall  ever  cherish.  Milk,  new  bread, 
and  fresh  butter,  we  were  never  in  want  of  while  near  these 
good  people,  and  of  grapes,  apples,  peaches,  and  all  other 
products  of  the  garden,  there  was  never  any  lack  at  our 
waggons.  Every  one  is  struck  with  the  beauty  of  Kuruman, 
although  the  site  cannot  boast  of  anv  natural  charms.  All 
we  see  is  the  result  of  well-directed  labour.  A  street  of 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  length  is  lined  on  one  side  by 
the  missionary  gardens,  enclosed  with  substantial  walls,  and 
teeming  with  fruit  and  vegetables  of  every  description.  A 
row  of  spreading  willows  is  nourished  by  a  fine  watercourse, 
pouring  a  copious  stream  at  their  roots  for  nearly  a  mile, 
and  beyond  the  gardens  flows  to  the  eastward  the  river 
Kuruman,  between  tall  reeds,  with  flights  of  water-fowl 
splashing  on  its  surface.  The  river  issues  a  few  miles  south 
from  a  grotto  said  to  be  one  hundred  yards  long,  and  very 
spacious,  the  habitation  of  innumerable  bats,  owls,  and 
serpents  of  a  large  size.     Stalactites  of  various  shapes  and 


THE  tNPLUENCl^  OF  THE  GOSPEL.        109 

figures  are  to  be  found  in  this  grotto.  I  have  seen  some 
beautiful  specimens  adorning  mantel-pieces.  One  party 
discovered  in  the  roof  of  this  grotto  portions  of  a  human 
skeleton  perfectly  petrified,  and  a  part  of  which  was 
broken  off. 

"  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  and  facing  the  row 
of  gardens,  the  willows,  and  the  stream,  is  a  spacious  chapel, 
calculated  to  hold  more  than  five  hundred  people.  It  is 
built  of  stone,  with  a  missionary  dwelling-house  on  either 
side  of  it,  and  a  trader's  dwelling-house  and  store  at  the 
western  end.  All  these,  as  well  as  the  smaller  but  neat 
dwellings  of  the  Bechuanas,  built  in  the  European  style,  and 
in  good  taste,  have  shady  syringa  trees  planted  in  the  front. 
At  the  back  of  the  missionary  premises  there  are  store  and 
school-rooms,  workshops,  &c.,  with  a  smithy  in  front. 
Behind  the  chapel  is  a  printing-ofhce,  in  which  native  com- 
positors were  setting  type  for  the  new  editions  of  Mr. 
Moffat's  bible.  Thousands  of  Sechuana  books  have  been  as 
well  printed  and  as  neatly  bound  in  this  establishment,  under 
the  superintendence  of  Mr.  Ashton,  as  they  could  be  in 
England.  The  natives  here  are  the  most  enlightened  and 
civilised  I  have  seen,  the  greater  portion  wearing  clothes, 
and  being  able  to  read  and  write.  It  was  pleasant  on 
Sunday  to  see  them  neatly  and  cleanly  clad  going  to  church 
three  times  a  day.  In  their  tillage  they  are  also  making 
rapid  progress,  and  having  adopted  European  practices, 
instead  of  the  hoe  they  use  the  plough." 

The  visit  of  Livingstone  to  this  country  in  1856,  and  the 
publication  of  his  South  African  researches,  greatly  revived 
missionary  interest  as  to  that  part  of  the  world.  One  result 
was,  that  several  young  men  offered  themselves  for  work  in 
that  part  of  the  mission  field.  Among  the  number  was  the 
Bev.  John  Mackenzie,  who  reached  the  Cape  in  July  1858. 
Some  years  afterwards  he  published  a  most  interesting  and 
valuable   record  of   his  first   ten   years   labours,    entitled, 


no    LIF.E  OF  FOBEBT  MOFFAT,  D.D, 


"  Ten  years  north  of  the  Orange  River,"  in  which  he  sketches 
A^'ith  a  facile  pen  his  views  and  impressions  of  the  head- 
quarters of  Moffat's  operations.  In  a  few  months  after  their 
arrival  in  Africa,  he  and  Mr.  Price  his  companion,  hotli  of 
whom  were  on  their  way  to  the  Makololo,  called  at  Kuruman, 
and  thus  he  writes  of  it: — "It  was  late  on  Monday  night 
before  we  reached  Kuruman  ;  but  we  were  delighted  with 
the  appearance  of  the  country  in  the  bright  moonlight — the 
thorn-trees  on  both  sides  of  the  road  near  Kuruman  remind- 
ing us  of  the  grounds  of  a  country  house  in  England.  On 
approaching  the  station  we  found  everything  in  profoundest 
stillness;  the  little  village  w^as  asleep.  Our  knocking,  how- 
ever, soon  roused  Mr.  Moffat,  who  gave  his  unexpected 
visitors  a  joyous  welcome  to  his  South  African  home,  which 
was  repeated  by  his  family,  and  in  the  morning  by  Mr. 
Ashton,  his  colleague.  I  found  that  most  of  the  people 
living;  at  Kuruman  have  considerable  knowledge  of  ajxricul- 
ture  and  the  ordinary  management  of  a  garden.  The  hoe 
has  largely  given  place  to  the  plough,  and  in  such  cases  the 
w^ork  of  the  garden  ceases  to  belong  to  the  women,  and  is 
performed  by  the  men.  Here  are  the  best  kept  native 
gardens  in  Bechuana  land  ;  but  even  here  the  straight  line 
in  fence  and  furrow  is  not  always  w^hat  it  ought  to  be." 

Speaking  of  the  more  strictly  religious  aspect  of  the  place, 
Mr.  Mackenzie  goes  on  to  say: — "If  you  wish  to  see 
Kuruman  to  advantage,  you  must  come  to  church  on 
Sunday  morning.  I  do  not  mean  to  the  prayer-meeting  at 
sunrise,  but  during  the  hour  before  service,  when  the  people 
assemble  in  groups  outside  the  church  in  the  grateful  shade 
of  the  syringa  trees.  Some  read  the  scriptures  ;  others  are 
going  over  the  spelling-book  ;  acquaintances  are  greeting 
each  other  ;  while  occasional  strangers  from  the  interior 
stand  in  the  background  in  their  karosses,  and  gaze  with 
mute  wonder  on  the  scene.  Inside  the  church  and  school- 
room the  children  are  singing  hymns  and  listening  to  the 


THE  IFPLUBNCE  OF  THE  GOSPEL.       Ill 


instructions  of  tlioir  teachers.  You  see  many  people  who 
are  respectably  dressed.  Most  of  the  men  belonging  to  the 
station  wear  European  clothing ;  the  trousers,  however,  are 
frequently  of  skin,  tanned  and  made  by  themselves.  The 
Bechuanas  are  skilful  in  patching ;  and  one  sees  coats  and 
gowns  of  many  colours,  and  wide-awake  hats  so  operated 
upon  that  you  cannot  well  describe  either  their  shape  or 
colour.  Most  of  the  women  wear  a  handkerchief  (or  two) 
tied  tiglitly  round  the  head  ;  and  it  is  counted  rather  elegant 
to  have  one  coloured,  while  the  other  is  black  silk.  Ladies' 
hats  were  patronised  by  a  fe^v^;  and  there  seemed  to  be  a 
division  of  opinion  as  to  whether  the  hat  ought  to  be  worn 
on  the  bare  head,  or  over  a  handkerchief  rather  ingeniously 
folded  so  as  to  imitate  long  hair  in  a  net.  Shoes  are  now 
neatly  made,  somewhat  after  the  fashion  of  brogues  in 
Scotland ;  but  stockings  are  regarded  as  equally  superfluous 
with  gloves.  You  observe  that  a  good  many  have  brought 
with  them  a  pretty  large  bag,  while  some  r/iso  carry  a  chair  on 
their  shoulder.  The  bag  contains  the  Sediuana  Bible,  which 
is  in  three  volumes,  and  the  hymn-book,  which,  here  as 
elsewhere,  is  a  great  favourite.  Tlie  chairs  are  brought 
chiefly  by  the  aristocracy  of  the  village,  the  reason  being, 
as  you  see  on  entering  the  church,  that  the  congregation  sit 
on  benches  or  forms  without  backs,  which  is  not  the  most 
comfortable  position  to  hear  a  sermon.  The  bell  rings  for 
service,  and  the  people  hasten  into  the  church.  The  mothers 
who  have  little  children  remain  on  forms  near  the  door,  so 
€hat  in  case  of  a  squall  they  can  readily  make  their  exit. 

*'  The  minister  of  the  day  ascends  the  pulpit ;  and  as  the 
London  Missionary  Society  is  a  very  broad  institution,  and 
takes  no  notice  whatever  of  clerical  dress  and  appointments, 
black  cloth  seldom  extended  further  than  the  coat ;  while 
pulpit-gowns  and  bands,  and  even  white  neckties,  were 
nowhere  ;  and  it  was  not  unusual  for  one  of  the  ministers  to 
make  his  appearance  in  smoking-cap  and  wrought  slippers  ! 


112  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


The  cap  was  off  in  church,  and  the  slippers  were  not  seen  in 
the  pulpit,  and  when  both  were  seen  outside,  instead  ot 
shocking  any  of  the  congregation,  they  seemed  to  be  much 
admired.  The  singing  at  Kuruman  in  1859  was  equalled 
only  by  that  of  a  Dutch  frontier  congregation.  The  latter 
would  bear  off  the  palm  on  account  of  the  strength  of  the 
voices  and  lungs  of  the  Dutch  people.  But  at  Kuruman  a 
great  improvement  took  place  in  the  singing  in  a  very  short 
time.  Lessons  in  church  psalmody  were  given  by  the  Misses 
Moffat,  assisted  by  an  excellent  harmonium  kindly  sent  out 
for  the  use  of  the  station  by  some  Christian  ladies  in 
London.  Many  of  the  Bechuanas  showed  themselves 
possessed  of  a  fine  musical  ear. 

"  The  service  now  proceeds  with  the  reading  and  exposition 
of  scripture,  succeeded  by  solemn  prayer.  A  sermon  or 
lecture  follows,  in  which  the  preacher  strives  to  introduce 
some  incident  in  the  sacred  narrative  —  some  parable  or 
doctrine,  so  as  to  impress  its  lesson  on  the  minds  of  his 
audience.  In  1859  there  were  three  such  services  at  Kuru- 
man on  the  Sunday.  In  the  course  of  the  week  there  is 
one  public  evening  service  conducted  by  one  of  the  mission- 
aries, and  another  entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  natives." 

It  is  impossible  for  any  candid  person  to  read  these 
several  testimonies  (not  all  of  them  from  missionaries,  or 
even  men  unduly  prejudiced  in  favour  of  missionary  opera- 
tions) without  acknowledging  the  power  and  value  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ;  and  the  ability,  integrity,  and  self- 
sacrificing  zeal  of  those  who  had  gone  with  their  lives  in 
their  hands  to  preach  it  to  these  heathen  tribes.  There  are 
people  who  make  it  their  business  to  misrepresent  and 
slander  Christian  missionaries,  and  speak  of  them  as  indolent 
and  self-seeking  men.  Let  such  people  hear  the  testimony 
of  Mr.  Chapman,  whose  description  of  Kuruman  has 
been  already  given.  He  spent  fifteen  years  in  South  Africa 
hunting  and  trading,  and  saw  a  great  deal  of  missionary  life 


THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  GOSPEL.        113 


and  labour ;  and,  as  an  impartial  observer,  bears  this 
honourable  testimony: — "The  lot  of  a  missionary  in 
Africa  is  a  hard  one  ;  his  life  is  one  of  trial  and  self-denial. 
Deprived,  often  for  months  together,  of  the  common  neces- 
saries of  life,  cut  off  from  society,  from  friends  and  relations, 
with  the  prospect  of  never  seeing  them  more,  it  is  cruel 
that  they  should  be  looked  upon  with  suspicion  by  those 
whom  they  have  come  to  benefit,  and  be  despised  and 
slandered  by  their  own  countrymen.  That  a  missionary 
trades  in  this  country  is  only  because  he  is  compelled 
to  do  so  to  obtain  the  supplies  necessary  for  the  wants 
of  his  family.  You  never  hear  of  missionaries  exporting 
cattle,  ivory,  or  any  other  commodity.  They  trade  for 
cattle  with  merchandise,  because  money  is  neither  known 
or  esteemed.  Could  the  missionary  send  to  the  butcher 
and  the  baker  every  day,  and  buy  his  few  pounds  of 
meat  or  bread,  he  would  not  be  compelled  to  purchase 
the  cattle  from  the  natives.  He  is  compelled  to  keep  a  small 
number  of  cattle,  and  slaughter  the  increase ;  and  if  his 
wife  wants  a  little  milk  for  her  young  children,  they  must 
have  several  cows  to  furnish  the  supply,  as  a  dozen  Damara 
cows  give  scarcely  as  much  milk  as  one  European.  If  God 
blesses  this  little  flock  with  a  healthy  increase,  they  are 
pointed  out  by  the  jealous  and  selfish  white  man  as  the 
profits  of  trade.  I  have  seen  a  great  deal  of  missionary 
life,  and  have  every  reason  to  sympathise  with  them.  Their 
labours  are  difficult,  their  trials  many,  their  earthly  reward 
a  bare  subsistence.  I  believe  that  the  real  causes  of  dislike 
to  the  missionaries  in  South  Africa  are  the  avarice  of  trade 
and  jealousy  of  the  influence  they  possess,  and  the  check 
they  are  upon  those  who  would  like  to  exercise  an  arbitrary 
and  unjust  authority  over  the  natives.  I  could  say  a  great 
deal  more  on  this  subject ;  but  the  missionaries  are  a  class 
of  men,  generally  speaking,  so  irreproachable,  that  the 
scandals  of  the  unprincipled  cannot  affect  them  with  well- 

8 


Ill  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


thinking  men,  nor  do  their  characters  require  any  further 
defence  by  me." 

As  to  the  success  of  missionary  labours  in  Kurunian  and 
the  regions  around,  Dr.  Livingstone  thus  gives  us  his  own 
honest  and  intelligent  impressions,  and  the  sensible  and 
discriminative  judgment  of  one  of  the  native  chieftains: — 
"  Many  hundreds  of  both  Griquas  and  Bechuanas  have 
become  Christians^  and  partly  civilised,  through  the  teaching 
of  English  missionaries.  My  first  impression  was  that  the 
accounts  of  the  effect  which  the  gospel  had  had  upon  them 
were  too  highly  coloured.  When,  hov/ever,  I  passed  on  to 
true  heathens  in  countries  beyond  the  sphere  of  missionary 
influence,  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  change  produced 
was  unquestionably  great.  It  is  a  proof  of  the  success  of 
the  Bechuana  Mission,  that  when  we  came  back  from  the 
interior  we  always  felt  on  reaching  Kuruman  that  we 
had  returned  to  civilised  life.  On  askinj:t  an  intelli- 
gent  chief  what  he  thought  of  the  converts,  he  replied  : 
'  You  white  men  have  no  idea  how  wicked  we  are  ;  we  know 
each  other  better  than  you.  Some  feign  belief  to  ingratiate 
themselves  with  the  missionaries  ;  some  profess  Christianity 
because  they  like  the  new  system,  wliich  gives  so  much 
more  importance  to  the  poor,  and  desire  that  the  old  system 
may  pass  away ;  and  the  rest — a  pretty  large  number — 
profess,  because  they  are  really  true  believers.'  This  account 
is  very  nearly  correct." 


CHAPTER  XYI. 


MOSELEKATSE   AND   THE   MATABELE. 


HE  Christian  influence  of  Moffat  and  his  fellow- 
labourers  was  not  confined  to  Kuruman  and  its 
immediate  neighbourhood.  Tidings  concerning  their 
character  and  doings  had  been  conveyed  to  some  of 
the  more  interior  tribes.  Their  amazing  skill,  their  fear- 
lessness and  bravery,  their  purity  of  living,  their  kindness 
and  compassion,  all  were  reported — in  some  cases  by  those 
who  had  themselves  seen  them,  in  other  cases  only  from 
hearsay. 

Among  those  who  heard  the  news  v/as  Moselekatse,  king 
of  the  Matabele,  whom  Moffat  calls  '*  this  Napoleon  of 
the  desert."  This  chief  was  a  man  of  a  bold  and  intrepid 
character,  and  had  been  a  marauder  from  his  youth.  For 
years  his  career  was  an  interminable  catalogue  of  crimes. 
There  was  scarcely  a  spot  over  extensive  regions  that  did 
not  bear  the  marks  of  his  deadly  ire.  His  native  cunning, 
and  his  knowledge  of  human  nature,  enabled  him  to  triumph 
over  the  minds  of  his  people,  and  made  them  regard  him 
as  an  invincible  sovereign.  Those  v/ho  resisted  him  ho 
butchered.  "  He  trained  the  captured  youth  in  his  own 
tactics,  so  that  the  majority  of  his  array  were  foreigners; 


IIG  LtPE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  b.D. 

but  his  chiefs  and  nobles  gloried  in  their  descent  from  the 
Zulu  dynasty.  lie  had  carried  his  arms  far  into  the  tropics, 
^vhere,  however,  he  had  more  than  once  met  his  equal ;  and 
on  one  occasion,  of  six  hundred  warriors  only  a  handful 
returned,  who  were  doomed  to  be  sacrificed,  merely  because 
they  had  not  conquered  or  fallen  with  their  companions." 
He  numbered  his  warriors  by  thousands,  and  governed 
\N  ith  a  most  despotic  rule,  owning  no  law  but  his  own 
capricious  will.  The  country  under  his  sway  was  that  now 
known  as  the  Transvaal. 

This  man  was  curious  to  know  something  more  of  the 
white  men  whose  fame  had  reached  him;  and  so,  in  1829, 
lie  sent  two  of  his  chief  men,  in  the  company  of  some 
returning  traders,  to  visit  these  teachers  at  Kuruman,  and 
make  themselves  more  particularly  acquainted  with  their 
manners  and  instructions.  The  missionaries,  of  course, 
received  them  with  courtesy  and  kindness,  and  shewed  thera 
every  mark  of  attention,  exhibiting  everything  that  was 
likely  to  interest,  and  specially  endeavouring  to  explain 
and  impress  on  their  minds  the  great  truths  of  the  Gospel. 
The  men  were  savages,  yet  a  natural  politeness  and  dignity 
marked  their  whole  behaviour,  and  shewed  that  they  were 
persons  of  rank  in  their  own  country.  The  houses  and 
gardens,  the  water-ditch  conveying  water  for  irrigation 
from  the  river,  and  the  smith's  forge,  especially  excited 
their  wonder  and  admiration,  which  they  expressed  in  the 
most  respectful  manner.  "  You  are  men,"  said  they,  "  we 
are  but  children ;  Moselekatse  must  be  taught  all  these 
thinijs." 

When  standing:  in  the  hall  of  Moffat's  house  looking:  at 
the  furniture,  so  strange  in  their  eyes,  Mrs.  Moflat  handed 
one  of  them  a  looking-glass.  He  looked  intently  on  his 
reflected  countenance,  and  never  having  seen  such  a  thing 
before,  supposed  it  was  that  of  one  of  his  attendants  on  the 
other  side.     Abruptly  putting  his  hand  behind  it,  he  bade 


MOSELEKATSE  AND  THE  MAT  ABE  LE.     117 

him  begone;  but  looking  again  at  the  same  face  he  cautiously 
turned  it.  Seeing  nothing,  he  returned  the  glass  with  great 
gravity,  observing  at  the  same  time  that  he  could  not  trust 
it.  Nothing,  however,  in  all  they  saw  seemed  to  interest 
them  so  much  as  the  public  worship  in  the  chapel.  The 
sidit  of  men  like  themselves  meetinsr  tosrether  with  such 
decorum,  mothers  hushing  their  babes,  the  elder  children 
sitting  still  and  silent,  was  a  novel  scene.  When  the 
missionary  ascended  the  pulpit,  they  listened  to  the  singing 
and  prayer,  the  reading  and  address,  with  astonishment  and 
reverence;  though,  from  their  ^ignorance  of  the  Sechuana 
language,  they  could  not  fully  understand.  They  asked 
many  questions  as  to  the  nature  of  the  service,  and  were 
greatly  surprised  to  find  that  the  hymns  were  not  war-songs, 
expressive  of  the  wild  reveries  which  the  associations  of 
music  alone  brouijht  to  their  minds. 

Moselekatse's  ambassadors  had  intended  to  visit  the 
colony,  that  they  might  see  the  white  man's  country;  but  [ 

this  was  found  inconvenient,  and  involved  considerable 
difficulty  as  to  how  they  were  to  return  in  safety.  Tho 
question  of  their  departure  to  their  own  land  now  occasioned 
perplexity.  Reports  were  in  circulation  that  some  of  the 
Bechuana  tribes,  through  whom  they  would  have  to  pass  on 
their  homeward  way,  were  meditating  their  destruction ; 
and  the  missionaries  had  reason  to  fear  that  the  reports 
were  true.  They  therefore  wished  their  visitors  had  not 
come  to  their  station,  because  they  could  not  pretend  to 
'defend  them  by  physical  force  ;  and  they  could  not  help 
trembling  at  the  possible  consequences  of  their  being 
attacked  and  murdered  on  the  road. 

After  much  thought  and  prayer,  Moffat  resolved  that  he 
would  himself  undertake  to  conduct  them  through  the 
several  tribes  from  whom  danger  was  anticipated,  goin-.; 
with  them  as  far  as  the  Bahurutsi  country,  from  whicli 
they  could  proceed  without  danger  to  their  own  land  and 


18  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

people.  The  undertaking  was  attended  with  considerabls 
risk  ;  all  through  the  hundreds  of  miles  that  lay  before  them 
dangers  were  to  be  apprehended  both  from  wild  beasts  and 
wild  men.  But  that  gracious  Providence  which  watched 
over  the  missionar}^  and  directed  his  steps  on  this  remark- 
able journey  preserved  him  from  all  harm,  and,  with  the 
influence  of  his  own  good  name,  secured  him  kindness  and 
a  hearty  welcome  from  the  sons  of  the  desert. 

As  they  went  along  in  some  parts,  like  the  mariner  on. 
the  ocean,  they  saw  the  expanse  around  them  bounded  only 
by  the  horizon.  Here  and  there  were  clumps  of  mimosas 
and  grass,  like  tall  wheat,  waving  in  the  breeze.  All  kinds 
of  game  roamed  at  large.  Occasionally  some  of  the  solitary 
inhabitants  who  lived  only  on  roots  and  the  chase  inter- 
cepted their  path,  and  begged  a  little  tobacco,  and  some- 
times passed  the  night  where  they  encamped.  On  retiring 
to  rest  one  night  a  lion  passed  near  the  waggons,  occasionally 
giving  a  roar,  which  died  away  on  the  extended  plain,  and 
was  responded  to  by  another  in  the  distance.  Directing  the 
attention  of  these  homeless  wanderers  to  the  sound,  Moffat 
asked  if  they  thought  there  was  danger;  they  immediately 
turned  their  ears  as  to  a  voice  with  which  they  were 
familiar,  and  after  listening  for  a  moment  or  two  replied, 
"  There  is  no  danger ;  he  has  eaten,  and  is  going  to  sleep." 
They  were  right,  and  the  travellers  slept  also.  Being  asked 
in  the  morning  how  they  knew  the  lions  were  going  to 
sleep,  they  replied,  "We  live  with  them;  they  are  our 
companions." 

Approaching  Moselekatse's  country  the  face  of  nature 
changed,  and  the  scenery  was  quite  different  from  what 
they  had  passed  through.  It  was  now  mountainous  and 
wooded  to  the  summits ;  evergreens  adorned  the  valleys,  in 
which  numerous  streams  of  excellent  water  flowed  through 
many  a  winding  course.  "  I  was  charmed  exceedingly," 
says  Moffat,  "  and  was  often  reminded  of  Scotia's  hills  and 


MOSELEKATSE  AND  THE  MATABELE.     119 

dales.  As  it  was  a  rainy  season,  everything  vras  fresh  ; 
the  clumps  of  trees  that  studded  the  plains  being  covered 
with  rich  and  livino-  verdure.  But  these  rocks  and  vales 
and  picturesque  scenes  were  often  vocal  with  the  lion's 
roar.  It  v/as  a  country  once  covered  with  a  dense  popula- 
tion. On  the  sides  of  the  hills  and  Kashan  mountains  were 
towns  in  ruins,  where  thousands  once  made  the  country 
alive,  amidst  fruitful  vales  now  covered  with  luxuriant 
grass,  inhabited  by  game.  The  extirpating  invasions  of  the 
Mantatees  and  Matabele  had  left  to  beasts  of  prey  the 
undisputed  right  of  these  lovely  woodland  glens.  The  lion, 
which  had  revelled  on  human  flesh,  as  if  conscious  that 
there  was  none  to  oppose,  roamed  at  large,  a  terror  to  tiie 
traveller,  who  often  heard  with  dismay  his  nightly  roaring 
echoed  back  by  the  surrounding  hills.  We  were  mercifully 
preserved  during  the  nights,  though  our  slumbers  were 
often  interrupted  by  his  fearful  howlings.  We  had  fre- 
quently to  take  our  guns  and  precede  the  waggon,  as  the 
oxen  sometimes  took  fright  at  the  sudden  rush  of  a  rhino- 
ceros or  buffalo  from  a  thicket.  More  than  one  instance 
occurred  when  a  rhinoceros  being  aroused  from  its  slumbers 
by  the  crack  of  the  whips,  the  oxen  would  scamper  off  like 
race-horses,  when  destruction  of  gear  and  some  part  of  the 
wagsfon  was  the  result.  As  there  was  no  road,  we  were 
frequently  under  the  necessity  of  taking  very  circuitous 
routes  to  find  a  passage  through  deep  ravines  ;  and  we  were 
often  obliged  to  employ  picks,  spades,  and  hatchets  to 
'clear  our  wa}^  When  we  bivouacked  for  the  night,  a  plain 
was  generally  selected,  that  we  might  be  the  better  able  to 
defend  ourselves;  and  when  firewood  was  plentiful,  we 
made  a  number  of  fires  at  a  distance  around  the  waggons. 
But  when  it  rained,  our  situation  was  pitiful  indeed  ;  and 
we  only  wished  it  to  rain  so  hard  that  the  lion  might  not 
like  to  leave  his  lair." 

When  they  came  to  the  outposts  of  the  Matabelo,  th.-^v 


120  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

halted  l)y  a  fine  rivulet ;  and  a  scene  presented  itself  such 
as  Moffat  had  not  before  witnessed.  "  My  attention,"  he 
observes,  "  was  arrested  by  a  beautiful  and  gigantic  tree 
standing  in  a  detile  leading  into  an  extensive  and  woody 
ravine,  between  a  high  range  of  mountains.  Seeing  some 
individuals  employed  on  the  ground  under  its  shade,  and 
the  conical  points  of  what  looked  like  houses  in  miniature 
protruding  through  its  evergreen  foliage,  I  proceeded  thither, 
and  found  that  the  tree  was  inhabited  by  several  families 
of  Bakones,  the  aborigines  of  the  country.  I  ascended  by 
the  notched  trunk,  and  found  to  my  amazement  no  less  than 
seventeen  of  these  aerial  abodes,  and  three  others  unfinished. 
On  reaching  the  topmost  hut,  about  thirty  feet  from  the 
ground,  I  entered  and  sat  down.  Its  only  furniture  was 
the  hay  which  covered  the  floor,  a  spear,  a  spoon,  and  a 
bowl  full  of  locusts.  Not  having  eaten  anything  that  day, 
and  from  the  novelty  of  my  situation  not  wishing  to  return 
immediately  to  the  waggons,  I  asked  a  woman  who  sat  at 
the  door  with  a  babe  at  her  breast  permission  to  eat.  This 
she  granted  with  pleasure,  and  soon  brought  me  more  in  a 
powdered  state.  Several  more  females  came  from  the 
neighbouring  roosts,  stepping  from  branch  to  branch,  to  see 
the  stranger,  who  was  to  them  as  great  a  curiosity  as  the 
tree  was  to  him.  I  then  visited  the  different  abodes,  which 
were  on  several  principal  branches.  The  structure  of  these 
houses  was  very  simple.  An  oblong  scaffold,  about  seven 
feet  wide,  is  formed  of  straight  sticks  ;  on  one  end  of  this 
platform  a  small  cone  is  formed  also  of  straight  sticks,  and 
thatched  with  grass.  A  person  can  nearly  stand  upright  in 
it :  the  diameter  of  the  floor  is  about  six  feet.  The  house 
stands  on  the  end  of  the  oblong,  so  as  to  leave  a  little  square 
space  before  the  door.  On  the  day  previous  I  had  passed 
several  villages,  some  containing  forty  houses,  all  built  on 
poles,  about  seven  or  eight  feet  from  the  ground,  in  the  form 
of  a  circle ;  the  ascent  and  descent  is  by  a  knotty  branch  of 


^^u^ 


^^"'"fel^'   »ifa5: 


TYPES     OF    VARIOUS     AFRICAN     TRIBES 


MOSELEKATSE  AND  THE  MATABELE.     121 

a  tiee  placed  in  front  of  the  house.  In  the  centre  of  the 
circle  there  is  always  a  heap  of  the  bones  of  game  they  have 
killed.  Such  are  the  domiciles  of  the  impoverished  thousands 
of  the  aborigines  of  the  country,  who  having  been  scattered 
and  peeled  by  Moselekatse,  had  neither  herd  nor  stall,  but 
subsisted  on  locusts,  roots,  and  the  chase.  They  adopted 
this  mode  of  architecture  to  escape  the  lions  which  abounded 
in  the  country.  During  the  day  the  families  descended  to 
the  shade  beneath  to  dress  their  daily  food.  When  the 
inhabitants  increased,  they  supported  the  augmented  weight 
on  the  branches  by  upright  sticks ;  but  when  lightened  of 
their  load,  they  removed  these  for  firewood." 

Having  accompanied  his  charge  nearly  to  the  borders  of 
their  own  country,  Moffat,  as  they  could  now  proceed 
without  danger,  desired  to  leave  them  and  return  to  his 
work  at  Kuruman.  The  ambassadors,  however,  pleaded 
with  him  to  proceed  to  the  end  of  the  journey.  They  said 
that  as  he  had  shewn  them  so  much  kindness,  and  proved 
himself  such  a  true  friend,  he  must  go  and  experience  the 
kindness  and  friendship  of  their  king.  Besides,  Moselekatse, 
they  said,  would  kill  them  if  they  suffered  their  guardian  to 
return  without  having  seen  him.  "Yonder,"  said  they, 
pointing  to  the  mountains  in  the  distance,  "  dwells  the  great 
Moselekatse,  and  how  shall  we  approach  his  presence  if  you 
♦are  not  with  us  1  If  you  love  us  still,  save  us,  for  when  we 
shall  have  told  our  news,  he  will  ask  why  our  conduct  gave 
you  pain  to  cause  your  return  ;  and  before  the  sun  sets  on 
the  day  we  see  his  face,  we  shall  be  ordered  out  for  execution, 
because  you  are  not  with  us.  Look  at  me  and  my  com- 
panion, and  tell  us,  if  you  can,  that  you  will  not  go,  for 
we  had  better  die  here  than  in  the  sight  of  our  own  people." 
This  appeal  overruled  all  Moffat's  objections,  and  he  resolved 
to  accompany  them  to  their  king. 

The  nearer  they  approached  the  king's  residence  the 
more   striking   and  numerous   were   the   evidences  of  his 


122  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


despotic  Pciicl  destructive  power.  Iluined  villages,  heaps  of 
stones  and  rubbish  mingled  with  human  skulls,  told  their 
sad  tale.  It  was  clear  that  not  long  ago  thousands  of 
people  had  dwelt  in  the  beautiful  and  charming  region 
through  vv'hich  the  travellers  v/ere  passing.  But  the 
extirpating  invasions  of  the  IMatabele  had  swept  them  all 
a^vay.  It  Avas  evident,  too,  that  the  ambassadors  wished  to 
preserve  silence  on  this  state  of  things,  and  took  care  to 
be  always  present  if  possible  when  any  of  the  aborigines 
appeared.  One  of  their  three  servants  belonged  to  the 
Bakones,  and  was  a  native  of  the  country.  He  would 
sometimes  whisper  of  the  times  of  war  and  devastation. 
He  would  describe  the  Bakones  and  the  Bahurutsi  as  being 
once  numerous  as  the  locusts,  rich  in  cattle,  and  maintaining 
a  large  trade  with  the  distant  tribes  of  the  north.  His  stories 
of  the  carrying  away  of  cattle  and  other  possessions,  the 
butchering  of  the  inhabitants,  and  the  wasting  of  towns  and 
villages  by  fire,  were  heartrending.  The  commandos  of 
Cliaka,  the  Zulu  tyrant,  had  made  frightful  havoc,  but  it 
was  as  nothing  to  the  final  overthrov/  of  the  aboriginal 
tribes  by  Moselekatse. 

One  Sabbath  morning  JMoffat  ascended  a  hill  to  command 
the  prospect  around,  Avhen  his  Bakone  companion  suddenly 
appeared.  He  had  come  to  converse  with  his  white  friend. 
Seeing  before  them  a  large  extent  of  level  ground  covered 
with  ruins,  the  missionary  asked  what  had  become  of  the 
inhabitants.  The  man  had  just  sat  down,  but  he  im- 
mediately arose,  and  stretching  forth  his  arm  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  ruins,  said,  "  I,  even  I,  beheld  it ! "  He  paused 
a  moment,  as  if  in  thought,  and  then  continued  :  "  There 
lived  the  great  chief  of  multitudes.  He  reigned  among 
them  like  a  kini::.  He  was  the  chief  of  the  blue-coloured 
cattle.  They  were  numerous  as  the  dense  mist  on  tlie 
mountain  brow  ;  his  ilocks  covered  the  plain.  He  thought 
the  number  of  his  warriors  would  awe  his  enemies.     His 


MOSELEKATSE  AND  THE  AlATABELE.     123 

people  boasted  in  their  spears,  and  laughed  at  the  cowardice 
of  such  as  had  fled  from  their  towns.  '  I  shall  slay  them, 
and  hang  up  their  shields  on  my  hill.  Our  race  is  a  race 
of  warriors.  AYlio  ever  subdued  our  fathers  %  they  were 
mighty  in  combat.  We  still  possess  the  spoils  of  ancient 
times.  Have  not  our  doii'S  eaten  the  shields  of  their  nobles  *? 
The  vultures  shall  devour  the  slain  of  our  enemies.'  Thus 
they  sang  and  thus  they  danced,- till  they  beheld  on  yonder 
heights  the  approaching  foe.  The  noise  of  their  song  was 
liushed  in  night,  and  their  hearts  were  filled  with  dismay. 
They  saw  the  clouds  ascend  from  the  plains.  It  v^^as  the 
smoke  of  burnins:  towns.  The  confusion  of  a  wliirlwind 
was  in  the  heart  of  the  great  chief  of  the  blue-coloured 
cattle.  This  shout  was  raised,  'They  are  friends,'  but  they 
shouted  again,  '  Thej^  are  foes,'  till  their  near  approach  pro- 
claimed them  Matabele.  The  men  seized  their  arms,  and 
rushed  out  as  if  to  chase  the  antelope.  The  onset  was  as 
the  voice  of  lightning,  and  their  spears  as  the  shaking  of  a 
forest  in  the  autumn  storm.  The  Matabele  lions  raised  the 
shout  of  death,  and  flew  upon  their  victims.  It  was  the 
shout  of  victory.  Their  hissing  and  hollow  groans  told  their 
progress  among  the  dead.  A  few  moments  laid  hundreds 
on  the  ground.  The  clash  of  shields  was  the  signal  of 
triumph.  Our  people  fled  with  their  cattle  to  the  top  of 
yonder  mount.  The  Matabele  entered  the  town  with  the 
roar  of  the  lion ;  they  pillaged  and  fired  the  houses,  speared 
the  mothers,  and  cast  their  infants  to  the  flames.  The  sun 
w^eut  down.  The  victors  emerged  from  the  smoking  plain, 
and  pursued  their  course,  surrounding  the  base  of  yonder 
hill.  They  slaughtered  cattle,  they  danced  and  sang  till  the 
dawn  of  day,  they  ascended  and  killed  till  their  hands  were 
weary  of  the  spear."  Then  stooping  to  the  ground  on 
which  he  stood,  the  narrator  took  up  a  little  dust  in  his 
hand ;  blowing  it  oft",  and  holding  out  his  naked  hand,  he 
added,  "That  is  all  that  remr.ins  of  t]ie  great  chief  of  the 


124  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

blue-coloured  cattle  !  "  Moffat  found  from  other  aborigines 
that  this  outburst  of  native  poetic  eloquence  was  no  fabled 
song,  but  merely  a  compendious  sketch  of  the  fearful  catas- 
trophe which  had  overwhelmed  those  unhappy  tribes. 

Nothing  could  exceed  the  heartiness  of  Moffat's  reception 
by  the  Matabele  king.  It  took  place  in  a  large  cattle-fold, 
which  Avas  lined  by  a  thousand  warriors  wearing  kilts  of 
ape-skins,  their  legs  and  arms  adorned  with  the  hair  and  tails 
of  oxen,  and  their  heads  with  feathers.  Motionless  as 
statues  they  stood  behind  their  shields,  which  reached  to 
their  chins.  After  some  minutes  of  profound  silence  they 
began  a  grand  war  song,  when  out  marched  the  barbarian 
monarch,  followed  by  a  number  of  men  bearing  baskets  and 
bowls  filled  with  food,  which  were  placed  at  the  missionary's 
feet.  The  king  then  shook  hands  with  his  visitor,  and 
invited  him  to  partake;  and  in  reply  to  his  expressed  desire 
that  a  spot  outside  the  town  might  be  appointed  for  encamp- 
ment, said,  "  The  land  is  before  you  ;  you  are  come  to  your 
son;  you  must  sleep  where  you  please."  As  the  waggons 
approached,  he  grasped  the  missionary's  hand  with  awe,  and 
then  drew  back  in  doubt  as  to  whether  or  not  they  were 
living  creatures.  When  the  oxen  were  unyoked  he  ventured, 
still  holding  fast  by  Moffat's  arm,  to  examine  the  "  moving 
houses."  The  wheels  especially  excited  his  wonder;  the 
greatest  mystery  of  all  being  how  the  large  band  of  iron 
surrounding  the  felloes  of  the  wheel  came  to  be  in  one  piece, 
without  either  end  or  joint.  One  of  the  ambassadors  whose 
visit  to  Kuruman  had  made  him  wiser  than  his  royal  master, 
took  hold  of  Moffat's  hand  and  said,  "  My  eyes  saw  that  very 
hand  cut  these  bars  of  iron,  take  a  piece  off  one  end  and 
then  join  them  as  you  now  see  them."  When  the  welded 
part  was  shewn  to  the  monarch,  he  said  to  the  ambassador 
"Does  he  give  medicine  to  the  iron?"  "  ]S'o,"  was  tho 
reply;   "nothing  is  used  but  fire,  a  hammer,  and  a  chisel." 

Anxious  to  c:chibit  birpself  and  his  nation  to  the  best 


MOSELEKAl'SJ^  ANl)  THE  MATABELE.     125 

advantage,  he  on  one  occasion  assembled  his  warriors  to  the 
number  of  ten  thousand  from  their  various  villages,  so  that 
they  might  engage  in  a  sham  fight  and  a  war  dance.  Mofiat 
took  advantaoje  of  the  exhibition  to  shew  him  the  evils  of 
war,  especially  such  unprovoked  and  cruel  wars  as  he  had 
promoted ;  and  caused  no  little  astonishment  by  the  ex- 
pression of  his  sentiments  and  his  lack  of  interest  in  the 
military  display.  Moselekatse  had  not  been  accustomed  to 
be  spoken  to  after  the  fashion  in  which  he  was  now  addressed  ; 
but  the  missionary  who  now  spoke  to  him  in  the  name  of 
the  God  of  Peace  was  one  who  never  feared  the  face  of  any 
man,  and  who  flinched  not  from  upholding  the  standard  of 
the  Gospel  even  in  the  strongest  holds  of  heathenism. 

Man  of  blood  as  the  barbarian  king  was,  and  indifierent  as 
he  shewed  himself  to  the  message  of  salvation,  he  neverthe- 
less took  kindly  to  Moffat,  and  was  grateful  for  the  way  in 
which  the  ambassadors  had  been  treated.  One  day,  placing 
his  hand  on  the  missionary's  shoulder,  he  said,  "  Father ! 
you  have  made  my  heart  white  as  milk.  I  cease  not  to 
wonder  at  the  love  of  a  stranger;  you  never  saw  me  before, 
but  you  love  me  more  than  my  own  people :  you  fed  me 
when  I  was  hungry,  you  clothed  me  when  I  was  naked,  you 
carried  me  in  your  bosom,  and  your  arm  shielded  me  from 
py  enemies."  When  the  missionary  replied  that  he  was 
unconscious  of  having  rendered  him  such  service,  he  pointed 
to  the  two  ambassadors  who  were  standing  near,  and  said, 
*'  These  are  great  men.  When  I  sent  them  from  my  presence 
to  see  the  land  of  the  white  man,  I  sent  my  ears,  my  eyes, 
my  mouth.  What  they  heard  I  heard ;  what  they  saw  I 
saw;  and  when  they  spoke,  it  was  Moselekatse  who  spoke. 
You  fed  them  and  clothed  them  ;  and  when  they  were  to  be 
slain  you  were  their  shield.  You  did  it  unto  me ;  you  did 
it  unto  Moselekatse,  the  son  of  Machobane  1 " 


CHAPTER   XVII. 


VARIED  EXPERIENCES. 


In  MojSfat's  return  home  the  Matabele  king  accom- 
panied him  for  two  or  three  days,  travelling  for  the 
first  time  in  an  African  waofixon.  Advanta2;e  was 
taken  to  renew  entreaties  that  he  would  abstain 
from  war ;  and  as  he  professed  a  desire  that  missionaries 
should  he  sent  to  reside  with  him,  a  promise  was  given  that 
such  should  be  the  case.  The  two  friends  then  parted,  to 
meet,  however,  again  in  coming  days.  After  an  absence  of 
two  months,  Mofiat  reached  Kuruman,  and  found  all  well, 
and  the  Divine  blessing  resting  still  on  the  work  of  the 
mission. 

Shortly  after,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moffat  went  with  their  chil- 
dren, by  way  of  Algoa  Bay,  to  Cape  Town.  On  intimating 
to  the  people  before  leaving  that  he  meant  to  collect  money 
in  the  colony  towards  their  new  place  of  worship,  a  number  of 
them  readily  came  forward  and  begged  to  contribute  their 
mite.  Some  subscribed  oxen,  some  goats,  a  few  gave  money, 
and  a  number  engaged  to  work.  This  was  very  cheering  to 
the  missionary's  heart.  Arriving  at  Graham's  Town,  he 
left  his  family  there  while  he  went  to  visit  several  of  the 
mission  stations  in  Caffre  Land,  and  then  some  of  thosa 


VARIED  EXPERIENCES.  127 

within  the  colony.  Ultimately  they  all  reached  Cape 
Town  in  October  1830.  Here  he  toiled  at  arduous  printing 
engagements.  These  labours  were  scarcely  finished  before 
a  severe  attack  of  bilious  fever  came  on,  occasioned  by  over 
exertion  in  the  hottest  season  of  the  year;  and  he  was 
brought  so  low  that  when  they  started  on  their  homeward 
journey  he  had  to  be  carried  on  a  mattress  on  board  ship. 
A  voyage  of  fourteen  days  in  rough  weather  to  Algoa 
Bay  proved,  however,  most  beneficial;  and  by  June  1831 
they  found  themselves  once  more  at  the  Kurumaii. 

They  returned  to  the  station  bearing  many  precious 
treasures, — an  edition  of  the  Gospel  of  Luke  and  a  hymn- 
book  in  the  native  language,  a  printing-press,  type,  paper, 
ink,  contributions  for  the  new  chapel,  and  a  box  of  materials 
for  clothing,  for  the  encouragement  of  such  as  were  making 
efforts  to  clothe  themselves.  A  sewin!>;-scliool  was  estab- 
lished  and  carried  on,  to  the  great  comfort  and  improvement 
of  the  natives.  But  this  season  of  pleasure  had  also  its 
alloy,  for  the  small-pox  entered  the  country  and  swept  away 
many  of  the  inhabitants,  and  amongst  them  one  of  the 
missionary's  own  children. 

Above  all,  the  favour  and  blessing  of  God  v/ere  seen  in 
the  real  conversions  which  took  place  at  this  time.  Con- 
♦siderable  accessions  were  made  to  the  number  of  believers. 
Strangers  from  distant  tribes  were  received  into  the  church. 
There  are  two  illustrations  of  the  power  of  Divine  grace 
furnished  by  Moffat  himself  that  carry  with  them  their 
own  praise.  "  Mamonyatsi,  one  of  these,  some  years  after 
died  in  the  faith.  She  was  a  Matabele  captive,  and  had 
accompanied  me  from  the  interior,  remaining  some  time 
in  the  service  of  Mrs.  M.,  and  early  displaying  a  readiness 
to  learn  to  read,  with  much  quickness  of  understanding. 
From  the  time  of  her  being  united  with  the  church  till  the 
day  of  her  death  she  was  a  living  epistle  of  the  power  of 
the  Gospel.     Once  while  visiting  the  sick,  as  I  entered  her 


128  LiFli:  OP  nOBElVr  MO i" FAT,  D.D. 


premises,  I  found  her  sitting  weeping,  with  a  portion  of  the 
word  of  God  in  her  hand.  Addressing  her,  I  said  :  '  My 
child,  what  is  the  cause  of  your  sorrow  1  Is  the  baby  still 
unwelH'  'No,'  she  replied,  'my  baby  is  well.'  'Your 
mother-in-law  1 '  I  inquired.  '  No,  no,'  she  said,  '  it  is  my 
own  dear  mother  who  bore  me.'  Here  she  again  gave  vent  to 
her  grief,  and  holding  out  the  Gospel  of  Luke,  in  a  hand 
wet  with  tears,  she  said,  '  My  mother  will  never  see  this 
word,  she  will  never  hear  this  good  news ! '  She  wept 
again  and  again,  and  said,  '  Oh  my  mother  and  my  friends  ! 
They  live  in  heathen  darkness ;  and  shall  they  die  without 
seeing  the  light  which  has  shone  on  me,  and  without  tasting 
that  love  which  I  have  tasted  1 '  Raising  her  eyes  to 
heaven,  she  sighed  a  prayer,  and  I  heard  the  words  again, 
*  My  mother,  my  mother  ! '  This  was  the  expression  of  the 
affection  of  one  of  Africa's  sable  daughters,  whose  heart  had 
been  taught  to  mourn  over  the  ignorance  of  a  far-distant 
mother.  Shortly  after  this  evidence  of  divine  love  in  her 
soul  I  was  called  upon  to  watch  her  dying  pillow,  and 
descended  with  her  to  Jordan's  bank.  She  feared  no 
rolling  billow.  She  looked  on  the  babe  to  w^liich  she  had 
but  lately  given  birth,  and  commended  it  to  the  care  of  her 
God  and  Saviour.  The  last  words  I  heard  from  her  falter- 
ing lips  were,  *  My  mother  ! '  " 

The  other  is  the  case  of  an  aged  blind  woman,  who  from 
the  time  of  her  conversion  till  her  death,  a  period  of  several 
years,  continued  to  adorn  her  prof ession  by  a  consistent  walk 
and  conversation.  "  A  few^  days  before  her  death  she  wished 
her  children  to  be  gathered  together  in  her  presence,  desiring 
to  speak  to  them  before  she  left  them.  They  surrounded 
her  bed,  and  when  informed  that  all  were  present,  she 
addressed  them  :  '  My  children,  I  wish  you  to  know  that  I 
am  to  be  separated  from  you,  but  you  must  not  on  that 
account  be  sorrowful.  Do  not  murmur  at  the  thought  of 
my  decease.     The  Lord  has  spared  me  not  a  few  days,  He 


VARIED  EXPERIENCES,  129 

has  taken  care  of  me  many  years,  and  has  ever  been 
merciful  to  me;  I  have  wanted  no  good  thing.  I  know 
Him  to  whom  I  have  trusted  the  salvation  of  my  soul.  My 
hope  is  fixed  on  Jesus  Christ,  who  has  died  for  my  sins, 
and  lives  to  intercede.  I  shall  soon  die  and  be  at  rest ;  but 
my  wish  is  that  you  will  attend  to  these  my  words.  My 
children,  hold  fast  your  faith  in  Christ.  Trust  in  Him, 
love  Him,  and  let  not  the  world  turn  you  away  from  Him ; 
and  however  you  may  be  reviled  and  troubled  in  the  world, 
hold  very  fast  the  word  of  God,  and  faint  not  in  persevering 
prayer.  My  last  word  is,  strive  to  live  together  in  peace. 
Avoid  disputes.  Follow  peace  with  all,  and  especially 
among  yourselves.  Love  each  other,  comfort  each  other, 
assist  and  take  care  of  each  other  in  the  Lord.'  After  this 
charge  to  her  children  she  said  but  little.  Her  last  words 
were  spoken  some  hours  before  her  death,  when  a  church 
member,  ever  in  attendance  at  sick  beds,  called  upon  her. 
She  heard  his  voice,  and  said,  '  Yes,  I  know  thee,  Mogami, 
my  brother  in  the  Lord.  I  am  going,  but  thou  wilt  remain. 
Hold  fast  the  word  of  God.  Turn  not  from  His  ways. 
And  take  a  message  to  thy  wife,  my  sister  in  the  Lord, 
that  she  must  use  all  diligence  to  ensure  eternal  life.' " 

Moffat's  visit  to  Moselekatse  and  the  reports  of  traders 
who  had  arrived  from  the  north  excited  considerable 
interest  in  Cape  Town,  and  led  to  the  sending  out  of  the 
exploring  expedition  under  Dr.  Andrew  Smith  to  which  we 
have  already  alluded.  At  the  earnest  request  of  Dr.  Smith, 
who,  as  we  have  seen,  called  at  Kuruman  on  his  way  out, 
Moffat  consented  to  accompany  the  expedition ;  thus  he 
visited  the  Matabele  king  a  second  time.  While  the 
members  of  the  exploring  party  roamed  over  the  country 
acquainting  themselves  with  its  natural  productions,  the 
missionary  remained  with  the  king  endeavouring  to  lead 
him  to  Christ,  pleading  for  the  poor  and  oppressed,  and 
urging  upon  him   the  exercise  of  mercy  and  compassion. 

9 


130  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

Before  returning  to  Kuruman  he  was  gladdened  by  the  king's 
consent  to  the  establishment  of  a  mission  among  his  people. 

Towards  the  close  of  1836  Mr.  Moffat  left  home,  at  the 
repeated  request  of  the  people  in  the  towns  on  the  Kolong 
River  to  pay  them  a  visit.  Pursuing  his  course,  he  met 
large  and  attentive  congregations.  The  demands  for  spelling- 
books  were  beyond  what  he  could  supply.  Proceeding  on, 
he  reached  at  last  the  distant  and  isolated  villaofe  of 
Mosheu,  a  Coranna  chief.  His  acquaintance  with  this  man 
began  in  1834,  when  an  entire  stranger,  with  two  or  three 
attendants  riding  on  oxen,  he  stopped  at  the  missionary's 
door.  He  was  clean  and  well-dressed,  looked  mild  and 
pleasant,  and  asked  where  he  might  lodge.  He  was 
pointed  to  an  outhouse,  to  which  he  went,  and  where  he  and 
his  companions  slept.  He  had  brought  his  own  supplies  of 
food  with  him,  which  in  the  case  of  visitors  was  most 
unusual.  When  asked  the  object  of  his  visit,  he  replied 
that  he  had  come  to  see  the  white  man.  After  remaininof 
two  days,  he  left,  apparently  much  pleased  with  his  visit. 
On  leaving,  he  said  to  Moffat  while  holding  his  hand,  "  I 
came  to  see  you  ;  my  visit  has  given  me  pleasure,  and  now 
I  return  home." 

After  some  time  Mosheu  appeared  at  Kuruman  again 
with  a  large  retinue,  consisting  of  wives  and  other  relations, 
servants  and  oxen.  The  missionary's  words  about  the  love 
of  God  in  Jesus  Christ  spoken  during  the  former  visit  had 
taken  such  hold  of  him,  that  now  he  came  back  to  ask  what 
he  and  his  friends  must  do  to  be  saved.  Having  remained 
for  some  time  to  hear  the  gospel  of  salvation  and  learn  the 
truth  more  perfectly,  they  all  took  their  departure ;  not, 
however,  till  a  promise  had  been  given  by  Moffat  in  response 
to  their  earnest  request  to  visit  their  village  at  the  earliest 
opportunity. 

In  fulfilment  of  this  promise  Moffat  now  travelled  to 
Mosheu's  village.      The  journey  had  been  long  and   weari- 


VARIED  EXPERIENCES.  137 

some,  and  at  its  termination  he  was  so  wearied  that  ht 
longed  for  quiet  and  repose.  Rest,  however,  was  out  of  the 
question.  No  sooner  did  he  approach  the  village  than  old 
and  young  came  flocking  around  to  welcome  him ;  and  five 
hundred  people  were  in  a  few  minutes  holding  out  their 
hands  to  shake  his,  crowding  forward,  and  pressing  upon  one 
another  in  their  eagerness.  It  was  twelve  o'clock  that  ni^ht 
before  they  were  satisfied  and  he  was  able  to  lie  down  in 
his  waggon  to  sleep.  Next  morning  by  early  dawn  they 
were  around  the  waggon  again,  all  waiting  for  him  to  preach 
to  them.  He  heard  their  eager  clamorous  voices  while 
dressing  himself,  and  as  soon  as  he  appeared,  messengers 
ran  to  tell  those  who  had  not  come  to  the  waggon  that  he 
was  up.  Without  waiting  to  take  his  breakfast,  he  at  once 
began  to  preach  to  the  crowd,  and  spoke  to  them  for  an 
hour  on  the  words,  "God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave 
His  only-begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him 
should  not  perish  but  have  everlasting  life."  They  listened 
with  the  utmost  attention.  The  cattle  wandered  away 
unheeded.  Women  who  had  been  milking  stood  with 
their  vessels  of  milk  in  their  hands  all  the  time  ;  and  some 
strangers  who  came  up  with  bows  and  spears  laid  down 
their  weapons  and  listened  also. 

The  preacher  at  the  close  of  the  service,  and  while  the 
'people  were  dispersing,  went  to  a  neighbouring  pool  to 
refresh  himself  with  a  wash,  and  then  returned  to  his 
waggon  to  breakfast.  What  was  his  surprise  to  find  the 
people  assembled  again,  and  to  learn  that  they  wanted 
another  sermon  at  once.  Pleading  hunger,  he  begged  them 
to  wait  for  half-an-hour.  Hearing  this,  one  of  the  chief 
women  hastened  to  her  hut,  and  returning  with  a  wooden 
bowl  filled  with  sour  milk,  said  with  a  smile,  "There, 
drink  away ;  drink  much,  and  you  will  be  able  to  speak 
long."  Cheerfully  accepting  this  hasty  African  breakfast, 
the  preacher  resumed  his  station,   and  delivered  a  second 


132  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

discourse  to,  if  possible,  a  still  more  attentive  congregation. 
As  soon  as  this  second  sermon  was  finished  the  people 
divided  into  groups  to  talk  over  what  had  been  said.  One 
young  man  who  had  a  good  memory  and  power  of  mimicry, 
and  who  had  attended  to  all  that  had  fallen  from  the 
preacher's  lips,  repeated,  with  all  the  preacher's  movements, 
the  whole  of  the  sermon  to  a  crowd  of  listeners. 

Two  sermons  were  not  enough  to  satisfy  these  hungry 
souls.  After  the  cows  had  been  milked  in  the  evening, 
when  the  sun  went  down,  they  came  once  more  to  the 
waggon.  There,  while  the  clear  silvery  moon  shone  on  the 
scene,  they  listened  again  to  God's  message  of  love ;  and 
long  after  the  service  was  ended  they  lingered  about  asking 
questions  and  talking  over  what  they  had  heard.  Next 
morning  tempestuous  weather  prevented  preaching  out  of 
doors,  so  the  missionary  spent  the  day  talking  with  them 
in  their  huts  and  trying  to  teach  them  to  read.  Towards 
evening  the  wind  subsided,  and  there  was  preaching  again  ; 
but  at  bed-time  all  the  people  wanted  another  lesson  in 
reading.  Two  or  three  young  men  who  had  already 
learned  to  read  had  accompanied  Moffat  from  Kuruman. 
A  few  spelling-books  and  sheets  of  letters  were  in  the 
waggon,  and  soon  the  Kuruman  readers  were  each  sur- 
rounded by  a  circle  of  scholars  calling  out  "A,  B,  0." 
It  was  moonlight,  and  the  letters  were  small,  so  that  all 
could  not  see  them  clearly ;  but  all  were  able  to  shout 
"A,  B,  C."  One  of  the  young  men  from  Kuruman  had 
told  them  that  in  the  schools  there  the  children  sang  their 
alphabet.  Although  it  was  growing  late  they  began  to 
cry  out,  *'  Oh  teach  us  the  A,  B,  C  with  music ! "  The 
lesson  was  therefore  sung  to  *'  Auld  Lang  Syne."  The 
people  picked  it  up  very  quickly,  and  were  so  pleased  with 
their  new  acquirements  that  it  was  between  two  and  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning  before  they  allowed  their  teachers  to 
leave   them.       When   Mr.   Mofl'at   lay  down  to  sleep   the 


VARIED  EXPERIENCES.  133 


people  were  still  singing  "A,  B,  C"  to  "  Auld  Lang  Syne," 
and  when  morning  dawned  the  women  went  to  milk 
the  cows  and  the  boys  to  tend  the  calfes  still  humming 
"A,  B,  C"  to  "Auld  Lang  Syne." 

When  the  time  came  for  Moffat's  return  the  whole 
population  of  the  village  accompanied  him  to  a  considerable 
distance,  and  then  stood  gazing  after  him  till  his  waggon 
was  out  of  sight.  Often  after  this  Moshew  and  his  people 
made  visits  to  Kuruman.  It  was  an  interesting  spectacle  to 
see  forty  or  fifty  men,  women,  and  children  traversing  the 
plain  all  mounted  on  oxen,  accompanied  by  a  number  of 
milch  cows,  that  they  might  not  be  burdensome  either  to 
the  missionaries  or  the  Kuruman  people.  Their  object  was 
to  obtain  instruction ;  and  they  would  remain  for  several 
weeks  at  a  time  diligently  attending  to  all  the  opportunities 
afforded. 

With  one  incident  illustrative  of  the  power  of  Christian 
principle  in  this  people,  and  the  influence  of  their  manifesta- 
tion of  it  on  their  enemies,  we  close  this  chapter.  One 
Sabbath  morning  they  were  assembled  in  the  centre  of 
the  village  to  hold  their  early  prayer-meeting.  While  at 
worship  a  band  of  marauders  made  their  appearance. 
Mosheu  arose,  and  begged  the  people  to  sit  still  and  trust 
,  in  God,  while  he  went  to  meet  the  strangers.  To  his 
question  what  they  wanted,  the  reply  was,  "Your  cattle; 
and  it  is  at  your  peril  you  raise  a  weapon  to  resist." 
"  There  are  my  cattle,"  replied  the  chief,  and  then  retired 
and  resumed  his  position  in  the  meeting.  A  hymn  was 
sung,  a  chapter  read,  and  then  all  kneeled  in  prayer  to  God, 
who  alone  could  save  them  in  the  day  of  trouble.  The 
sight  Avas  too  sacred  and  solemn  to  be  gazed  on  by  such  a 
band  of  ruffians,  and  they  all  withdrew  from  the  place 
without  touching  a  single  article  belonging  to  the  people. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

TRANSLATIONS    AND    THE    PRINTING-PRESS. 

OR  a  long  time  after  he  began  his  \\ork  in  Africa 
Moffat  had  to  carry  it  on  through  the  medium  of 
interpreters.  But  these  were  sometimes  incom- 
petent men.  As  in  the  days  of  Job  and  in  the 
land  of  Uz,  an  interpreter  to  any  good  purpose  was  barely 
one  among  a  thousand.  One  day  addressing  an  audience, 
the  missionary  said  :  "The  salvation  of  the  soul  is  a  great 
and  important  subject."  In  conveying  the  statement  to  the 
people  the  interpreter  told  them  that  the  salvation  of  the 
soul  was  a  very  great  "sack."  He  found  at  last  that  he 
must  fling  his  interpreters  away,  for  they  could  neither 
understand  themselves  nor  make  others  understand.  "  A 
missionary  who  commences  giving  direct  instruction  to  the 
natives,  though  far  from  competent  'u\  the  language,  is  pro- 
ceeding on  safer  ground  than  if  he  were  employing  an 
interpreter  who  is  not  proficient  in  both  languages,  and  lias 
not  a  tolerable  understanding  of  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel."' 
Even  though  an  interpreter  be  ever  so  competent,  it  is  well 
to  try  to  dispense  with  his  services  as  soon  as  possible. 

We  have  seen  how  Moffat  set  about  learning  the  Sechuana 
tongue.     It  was  no  easy  task.     The  difficulties  of  mastering 


TRANSLATIONS  AND  PRINTING.  135 


the  language  were  increased  by  the  variety  of  its  dialects. 
In  the  towns  its  purity  and  harmony  are  preserved  by 
means  of  their  "  pitchos  "  or  public  meetings,  at  which  it  is 
best  spoken,  and  of  their  festivals  and  ceremonials,  as  well 
as  of  their  son^s  and  their  social  intercourse.  "  But  with 
the  isolated  villages  of  the  desert,"  as  Moffat  remarks  in 
a  passage  to  which  Max  Muller  refers  in  his  Lectures 
on  Language^  "it  is  far  otherwise.  They  have  no  such 
meetings,  no  festivals,  no  cattle,  nor  any  kind  of  manu- 
factures to  keep  their  energies  alive ;  riches  they  have 
none,  their  sole  care  being  to  keep  body  and  soul  together. 
To  accomplish  this  is  with  them  their  'chief  end.'  They 
are  compelled  to  traverse  the  wilds  often  to  a  great  distance 
from  their  native  village.  On  such  occasions  fathers  and 
mothers,  and  all  who  can  bear  a  burden,  often  set  out  for 
weeks  at  a  time,  and  leave  their  children  to  the  care  of  two 
or  more  infirm  old  people.  The  infant  progeny,  some  of 
whom  are  beginning  to  lisp,  while  others  can  just  master  a 
whole  sentence,  and  those  still  further  advanced,  romping 
and  playing  together  through  the  live-long  day,  the  children 
of  nature  become  habituated  to  a  language  of  their  own. 
The  more  voluble  condescend  to  the  less  precocious,  and 
thus  from  this  infant  Babel  proceeds  a  dialect  composed  of 
,  a  host  of  mongrel  words  and  phrases  joined  together  with- 
out rule,  and  in  the  course  of  a  generation  the  entire 
character  of  the  language  is  changed." 

Having  acquired  the  language,  Moffat  felt  that  the  time 
had  now  come  to  enlist  the  services  of  the  press  as  an 
auxiliary  to  the  living  voice,  without  which  there  could  be 
no  great  or  permanent  success.  He  translated  the  Assem- 
bly's Catechism,  and  put  it  to  press.  He  also  composed, 
printed,  and  put  into  use  a  collection  of  hymns  for  public 
worship  ;  and  it  is  one  of  his  many  titles  to  grateful  re- 
membrance that  he  wrote  the  first  hymn  ever  penned  in 
the  native  language,  and  became  in  fact  the  poet  of  the 


136  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

Bechimna  sanctuary.  But  one  great  need  pressed  on 
Moffat's  mind — the  natives  had  not  the  Bible  in  their  own 
tongue.  He  saw  that  it  was  essential  to  the  prosperity  of 
the  great  work  in  which  he  was  engaged  that  the  wholo 
of  the  Scriptures  should  be  translated  into  the  Sechuana 
language,  which,  with  certain  modifications,  is  the  language 
of  the  interior  of  Africa.  He  doubted  his  own  powers, 
fancying  that  his  early  education  had  not  been  such  as  to 
qualify  him  for  the  undertaking,  and  therefore  appealed  to 
the  Society  in  England  to  send  out  some  one  specially  to 
engage  in  it. 

The  circulation  of  the  Scriptures  in  Africa  was  taken  up 
by  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  shortly  after  its 
formation.  Dr.  Carlyle,  Professor  of  Arabic  at  Cambridge, 
issued  a  prospectus  in  1803  for  printing  an  edition  of  the 
Bible  in  that  language.  Mungo  Park  and  others  encouraged 
the  experiment,  inasmuch  as  they  thought  Arabic  was  widely 
understood.  The  death  of  Dr.  Carlyle  caused  a  delay,  but 
the  enterprise  was  taken  up  by  his  successor  and  by  the 
Oxford  Professor  of  Arabic,  who,  together  with  Barrington, 
Bishop  of  Durham,  and  Porteous,  Bishop  of  London, 
brought  the  matter  before  the  Bible  Society.  "It  would," 
said  the  latter  prelate,  "  do  great  credit  to  the  society,  and 
might  be  of  infinite  service  in  sowing  the  seeds  of  Chris- 
tianity over  the  whole  continent  of  Africa."  Three 
hundred  copies  were  printed  from  the  text  of  the  Polyglot. 
To  the  accuracy  of  that  text,  however.  Dr.  Adam  Clarke 
demurred,  as  did  other  Arabic  scholars,  of  whom  Henry 
Martyn  was  one.  The  expediency  of  translating  the  Scrip- 
tures into  the  native  tongue  seems  to  have  been  first 
suggested  by  Dr.  Philip.  "  The  discoveries  daily  making," 
he  remarked,  "  lead  to  a  supposition  that  all  the  languages 
spoken,  from  the  Keiskamma  to  the  Arabian  Gulf,  and 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Zambezi  to  that  of  the  Congo,  are 
derived  from   the  same  parent  stock,   and   are  so   nearly 


TRANSLATIONS  AND  PRINTING.  137 

allied  to  each  other  as  to  furnish  great  facilities  for  the 
translation  and  general  circulation  of  the  Scriptures."  A 
translation  of  the  New  Testament  was  undertaken  in  the 
Namaqua  language,  and  the  four  Gospels  were  printed  at 
Cape  Town.  It  was  the  first  book  ever  printed  in  that 
language.  Meanwhile  no  help  came  to  Moffat,  and  the 
necessity  for  the  work  becoming  more  and  more  pressing, 
he  resolved  to  enter  upon  it  himself.  For  many  years  he 
applied  every  spare  moment  to  translating;  the  intervals 
between  preaching  and  teaching,  ploughing,  working  at  the 
forge  or  at  the  printing-press,  were  devoted  to  it,  so  that 
he  became  almost  a  stranger  in  his  own  family. 

In  the  year  1832  Moffat  completed  a  translation  into 
Sechuana  of  the  Gospel  according  to  Luke.  Even  at  Cape 
Town  printing  at  that  time  of  day  was  in  its  infancy.  Sir 
Lowry  Cole,  the  Governor,  kindly  permitted  the  missiona:py 
to  use  the  official  press.  But  who  was  to  supply  him  with 
compositors  ^  There  was  nothing  for  it  but  that  the  trans- 
lator must  be  his  own  compositor ;  and,  joined  by  his 
colleague,  he  set  in  type  and  struck  ofi",  under  the  superin- 
tendence of  the  official  printer,  both  his  translation  of 
Luke's  Gospel  and  his  own  hymns.  He  then  returned  in 
triumph  to  his  station,  carrying  with  him  the  books,  the 
press  which  had  been  presented  to  him  by  Dr.  Philip,  and 
the  other  articles  of  which  we  have  previously  spoken. 

Four  years  after  he  writes  of  one  of  his  missionary  visits 
thus  : — "  On  this  station,  as  well  as  at  other  places  I  lately 
visited  in  the  course  of  my  itinerating  journey,  I  was 
delighted  to  hear  that  the  attention  of  the  people  was  first 
aroused  to  a  sense  of  the  importance  of  divine  truth  and 
a  concern  for  their  souls  by  hearing  that  Gospel  (Luke's) 
read  in  their  own  language.  I  have  frequently  listened 
with  surprise  to  hear  how  minutely  some  who  were  unable 
to  read  could  repeat  the  story  of  the  woman  who  was  a 
sinner,  the  parables  of  the  great  supper,  the  prodigal  son, 


138  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

and  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus,  and  date  their  change  of 
views  to  these  simple  but  all-important  truths  delivered  by 
the  great  Master  Teacher." 

In  a  subsequent  letter  written  to  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society  in  1838,  he  says:  "  Within  the  last  twelve 
months  we  have  had  the  inexpressible  joy  of  receiving 
seventy-one  adults  (some  aged)  into  the  church.  The  natives 
on  all  sides  are  learning  to  read.  Though  there  must  be 
about  four  thousand  spelling-books  in  circulation,  the  de- 
mand for  them  is  increasing.  Many  are  able  to  read  well. 
Lately  we  increased  the  hymns  to  one  hundred,  and  printed 
two  thousand  copies,  and  also  two  thousand  copies  of  the 
large  spelling-book,  both  of  which  were  greatly  wanted ; 
very  few  copies  remain  of  the  Gospel  of  Luke.  Some 
people  who  live  two  hundred  miles  beyond  us  are  learning 
to  read,  and  some  can  read  tolerably  well," 

By  1840  Mr.  Moffat  had  completed  the  translation  of  the 
entire  New  Testament,  and  became  anxious  about  the 
printing  of  it.  The  press  at  his  station  was  not  equal  to 
the  undertaking ;  he  therefore  proposed  at  first  having  it 
done  at  the  Cape,  and  two  hundred  and  fifty  reams  of  paper 
were  voted  by  the  Bible  Society  for  the  printing  of  four 
thousand  copies.  When,  however,  he  reached  the  Cape,  it 
was  thought  desirable  that  the  work  should  be  executed  in 
this  country,  and  that  he  should  come  over  here  for  the 
purpose  of  superintending  it.  On  his  arrival  he  found 
himself  much  assisted  by  the  counsels  and  help  of  the 
Society's  valuable  editorial  superintendent,  the  Rev.  Joseph 
Jowett.  An  edition  of  the  Psalms  was  added  to  that  of 
the  New  Testament. 

Supplies  of  the  Sechuana  Testament  and  Psalms  were 
soon  sent  out  to  Africa,  and  when  they  reached  their 
destination  spread  joy  among  the  sons  of  the  desert.  One 
of  the  missionaries  on  the  spot  thus  wrote  on  their  arrival : 
"  It  is  with  great  pleasure  I  can  now  inform  you  that  the 


TEANSLATIONS  AND  PRINTING.  139 

five  hundred  copies  of  the  Sechuana  jS'evv  Testament  con- 
signed to  the  Rev.  D.  Livingstone  were  brought  to  this 
station  by  him  in  safety  and  good  order.  Immediately  on 
the  boxes  being  taken  down  from  the  waggon  a  distribution 
was  made,  by  assigning  fifty,  sixty,  or  eighty  copies  to  the 
other  stations  where  there  are  Bechuana  readers.  When 
it  became  known  that  the  'books'  had  arrived,  great 
satisfaction  was  evinced  by  the  natives,  and  applications  for 
copies  were  made  with  urgency,  some  offering  payment, 
others  promising  to  do  so  when  able  at  some  future  time. 
Some  who  were  not  well  able  to  read,  and  others  resolving 
to  learn  to  read,  applied  also  for  copies." 

Mr.  Moftat  quitted  England  in  1843  to  resume  his  mis- 
sionary labours  among  the  Bechuana  tribes,  and  took  with 
him  two  thousand  Testaments  and  Psalms  in  the  Sechuana 
language.  During  his  stay  in  this  country  six  thousand  copies 
were  printed  in  London  under  his  superintendence.  It  is 
an  interesting  circumstance  that  to  convey  this  boon  was  the 
first  of  an  unparalleled  series  of  benefits  conferred  upon  the 
continent  of  Africa  by  Moffat's  son-in-law  and  the  renowned 
missionary  traveller  David  Livingstone.  On  Moffat's 
return  to  his  station  at  Kuruman  with  Messrs.  Livingstone, 
Hoss,  Inglis,  and  Ashton,  to  reinforce  the  mission,  the  work 
was  prosecuted  with  renewed  vigour  and  marked  success. 
Urged  by  the  younger  men,  Moffat  applied  himself  to  the 
translation  of  the  Old  Testament.  It  was,  as  we  shall  see, 
a  labour  of  years ;  but  he  continued  steadily  at  it  as  he  had 
leisure,  daily  and  nightly  also,  without  intermission,  until 
it  was  completed. 

"We  can  only  note  briefly  the  successive  stages  of  the 
work.  In  1848  the  books  of  Proverbs  and  Ecclesiastes 
had  been  finished  and  Isaiah  begun.  In  1851  Mr.  Hughes 
of  Griqua  Town,  writing  to  the  Bible  Society  in  London 
concerning  Mr.  Moffat's  several  translations,  says :  "  The 
last  work  is  one  lately  published,  containing  the  books  of 


140  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

Proverbs,  Ecclesiastes,  and  Isaiah,  of  w^iich  about  two 
hundred  copies  may  be  in  circulation  at  the  present  time. 
The  whole  of  the  Old  Testament,  however,  has  been  trans- 
lated, and  may  be  expected  ere  long  to  be  printed  in  the 
Sechuana  language.  Some  thousands  of  Bechuanas'  hearts 
will  leap  with  joy  to  see  the  happy  day ;  God  speed  it ! " 
The  rough  draft  of  the  whole  Old  Testament  was  completed, 
but  much  revision  was  still  needed.  The  work  of  trans- 
lating, revising,  and  printing  still  went  on.  Joshua  suc- 
ceeded to  the  Pentateuch,  and  Samuel  to  Joshua;  and  in 

1853  the  Second  Book  of  Kings  was  nearly  ready  for  press. 
From  a  communication  of  the  translator's  own   pen  in 

1854  we  learn  that  he  was  still  engaged  in  making  the 
version  as  perfect  as  he  could.  "  The  longer  I  live,"  he 
writes,  "the  more  powerfully  is  my  mind  impressed  with 
the  duty  of  every  missionary  making  way  for  the  Bible  by 
getting  the  people,  such  as  are  in  this  country,  taught  to 
read.  *  Nothing  like  the  Bible,'  says  the  new  convert, 
burning  with  his  first  love,  and  '  Nothing  but  the  Bible,' 
responds  the  venerable  Christian,  bowing  down  like  the  full 
grain  ready  to  be  gathered.  It  has  been  frequently 
remarked  that  as  the  children  of  God  advance  in  old  asfe 
they  stick  closer  and  closer  to  the  Bible,  and  the  Bible  only  ; 
and  who  can  wonder,  who  knows  its  value,  or  rather,  that 
it  cannot  be  valued  %  The  first  volume  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment is  nearly  completed.  Little  more  than  half  of  the 
Second  Book  of  Kings  remains  to  be  printed ;  and  if  the 
covers  arrive  by  the  time  the  remaining  sheets  are  being 
printed  oflf,  all  will  be  in  season,  and  they  will  soon  be  in 
the  hands  of  the  natives.  Many  are  the  inquiries  made 
as  to  when  it  will  be  finished,  and  many  wonder  why  it 
cannot  be  done  with  greater  expedition.  They  know  the 
pen  and  the  press  can  be  made  to  go  pretty  fast,  but  it  ^^  ill 
be  some  time  before  they  are  convinced  that  too  mucli  time 
and  pains  cannot  be  taken  to  ensure  correctness  in  a  book 


TRANSLATIONS  AND  PRINTING.  HI 

which  is  ill  Sechuana  phraseology,  'Molome  oa  Jehova/ — 
the  mouth  of  Jehovah." 

Moffat  was  now  approaching  the  completion  of  his  trans- 
lation labours.  Jeremiah  was  in  the  press,  Ezekiel  far 
advanced,  Daniel  and  the  remainder  ready  for  the  com- 
positor^  and  then  the  Old  Testament  would  be  finished. 
"A  couple  of  months,"  he  wrote  to  a  friend,  "will  finish 
Ezekiel ;  a  load  will  then  be  removed  from  off  my  mind — a 
load  with  respect  to  which  I  have  often  felt  as  if  it  would 
crush  me,  yet  have  so  often  felt  as  though  my  very  existence 
depended  upon  the  prosecution  of  this  work.  I  have  felt, 
in  short,  as  if  I  must  die  if  I  dropped  it,  or  at  least  be 
miserable  to  the  end  of  my  days  did  I  not  enlist  all  the 
time,  research,  and  perseverance  at  my  command  in  its 
accomplishment.  In  fine,  I  have  found  it  to  be  an  awful 
work  to  translate  the  Book  of  God ;  and  perhaps  this  has 
given  to  my  heart  the  habit  of  sometimes  beating  like  the 
strokes  of  a  hammer.  After  getting  the  brain  refreshed, 
I  shall  hasten  to  a  revision  of  the  New  Testament — a 
comparatively  easy  work." 

At  length  the  long  labour  of  years  came  to  an  end,  and 
the  last  verse  of  the  Old  Testament  was  translated  into  the 
Sechuana  tongue,  Moffat  thus  describes  his  emotions  at 
this  time  : — "  I  could  hardly  believe  that  I  was  in  the  world, 
so  difficult  was  it  for  me  to  realise  the  fact  that  my  work  of 
so  many  years  was  completed.  Whether  it  was  from  weak- 
ness or  overstrained  mental  exertion  I  cannot  tell,  but  a 
feeling  came  over  me  as  if  I  should  die,  and  I  felt  perfectly 
resigned.  To  overcome  this  I  went  back  again  to  my 
manuscript  still  to  be  printed,  read  it  over  and  re-examined 
it,  till  at  length  I  got  back  again  to  my  right  mind.  This 
was  the  most  remarkable  time  of  my  life,  a  period  I  shall 
never  forget.  My  feelings  found  vent  by  my  falling  upon 
my  knees  and  thanking  God  for  His  grace  and  goodness  in 
giving  me  strength  to  accomplish  my  task." 


142  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

Before  we  pass  away  from  this  story  of  translation,  wo 
shall  here  give  the  views  of  an  eminent  authority  on  the 
value  of  the  work.  In  1852,  when  Dr.  Livingstone  was  on 
his  travels,  he  called  at  Kuruman,  and  found  Moffat  busy 
at  his  loved  employ.  He  says  :  "  During  the  period  of  my 
visit  at  Kuruman,  Mr.  Moffat,  who  has  been  a  missionary 
in  Africa  upwards  of  forty  years,  was  engaged  in  carrying 
the  Bible  in  the  language  of  the  Bechuanas  through  the 
press  at  his  station.  As  he  was  the  first  to  reduce  their 
speech,  which  is  called  Sechuana,  to  a  written  form,  and  has 
had  his  attention  directed  to  the  study  for  thirty  years,  he 
may  be  supposed  to  be  better  adapted  for  the  task  than 
any  other  man  living.  The  comprehensive  meaning  of  the 
terms  in  this  tongue  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that 
there  are  fewer  words  in  the  Pentateuch  in  Mr.  Moffat's 
translation  than  in  the  Greek  Septuagint,  and  far  less  than  in 
our  English  version.  It  is  fortunate  that  the  task  has  been 
completed  before  the  language  became  adulterated  with  half- 
uttered  foreign  words,  and  while  those  who  have  heard  the 
eloquence  of  the  native  assemblies  are  still  living.  The 
young  who  are  brought  up  in  our  schools  know  less  of  the 
tongue  than  the  missionaries.  The  Sechuana  vocabulary  is 
extraordinarily  copious.  Mr.  Moffat  never  spends  a  week 
at  his  work  without  discovering  new  words.  It  would  be 
no  cause  for  congratulation  if  the  Bechuana  Bible  was 
likely  to  meet  the  fate  of  Elliot's  Chocktaw  version,  in 
which  we  have  God's  word  in  a  language  which  no  tongue 
can  articulate  and  no  mortal  can  understand.  A  better 
destiny  seems  in  store  for  Mr.  Moffat's  labours,  for  the 
Sechuana  has  been  introduced  into  the  new  country  beyond 
Lake  Ngami,  where  it  is  the  court  language,  and  will  carry 
a  stranger  through  a  district  larger  than  France." 

Upon  Moffat  God  has  conferred  the  unspeakable  honour 
of  giving  the  Bible  to  South  and  Central  Africa.  He  has 
done  for  the  tribes  of  this  vast  region  of  the  earth  what 


TRANSLATIONS  AND  PRINTING.  143 

Morrison  has  done  for  the  natives  of  China,  Carey  and 
Marshman  for  the  races  of  India,  and  other  missionaries  for 
the  peoples  of  other  lands, — placed  in  their  hand  the  word 
of  God  in  their  own  tongue.  He  did  the  work  we  may  say 
single-handed.  It  has  been  remarked  by  some  one  that 
"no  evidence  can  be  produced  that  the  whole  of  the 
Scriptures  was  by  any  person  rendered  into  Saxon.  Even 
Wickliffe  had  the  help  of  many  predecessors ;  much  more 
Coverdale.  Bede  was  translating  the  Gospel  of  John  at  the 
time  of  his  decease.  But  Robert  Moffat,  who  began  with 
the  Gospel  of  Luke,  has  lived  to  translate  the  whole  Bible 
into  the  barbarous  dialect  of  South  Africa."  It  is  true 
that  his  colleague  Mr.  Ashton  rendered  him  invaluable  help 
for  many  years,  still  the  work  in  a  peculiar  and  emphatic 
sense  is  iiis  own.  Carefully  as  it  has  been  done,  it  may  not 
be  free  from  minor  mistakes.  Even  in  this  present  century 
we  are  revising  the  authorised  version  of  the  English  Bible. 
The  infallible  book  is  liable  to  the  errors  of  fallible  men. 
Still  competent  authorities  assure  us  of  the  excellency  of 
the  Sechuana  version,  and  among  the  peoples  of  South 
Africa  who  read  and  value  the  Bible  it  is  held  in  the 
highest  estimation. 

In  the  execution  of  this  work  Moffat  has  bestowed  on 
Africa  a  priceless  boon.  It  is  the  source  of  all  other 
benefits — the  spring  whence  flow  the  precious  streams  of 
liberty,  knowledge,  social  and  domestic  blessedness,  en- 
lightened commerce,  and  all  that  contributes  to  personal 
and  national  good.  The  natives  themselves  testify  to  the 
value  of  the  Bible  and  to  the  benefits  it  has  conferred  on 
South  Africa.  Here  is  the  evidence  of  a  Christian  Hotten- 
tot at  a  public  meeting  of  the  London  Missionary  Society 
convened  in  London  : — "  I  wish  to  tell  you,"  said  he,  "  what 
the  Bible  has  done  for  Africa.  What  would  have  become 
of  the  Hottentot  nation  and  every  black  man  in  South 
Africa  had  you  kept  the  word  of  God  to  yourselves  1    When 


144  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

you  received  the  word  of  God,  you  thought  of  other  nations 
who  had  not  that  word.  When  the  Bible  came  amongst  us 
we  were  naked ;  we  lived  in  caves  and  on  the  tops  of  the 
mountains ;  we  had  no  clothes,  we  painted  our  bodies  with 
red  paint.  At  first  we  were  surprised  to  hear  the  truths  of 
the  Bible.  The  Bible  charmed  us  out  of  the  caves  and 
from  the  tops  of  the  mountains.  The  Bible  made  us  throw 
away  all  our  old  customs  and  practices,  and  we  lived  among 
civilized  men.  \Ye  are  tame  men  now.  Now  we  know 
there  is  a  God ;  now  we  know  we  are  accountable  creatures 
before  God.  But  what  was  our  state  before  the  Bible 
came  1  We  knew  none  of  these  things.  We  knew  nothing 
about  heaven.  We  knew  not  who  made  heaven  and  earth. 
The  Bible  is  the  only  light  for  every  man  that  dwells  on 
the  face  of  the  earth.  I  thank  God  in  the  name  of  every 
Hottentot — of  all  the  Hottentots  in  South  Africa — that  I 
have  seen  the  face  of  Englishmen. 

"  I  have  been  looking  whether  a  Hottentot  found  his  way 
to  this  meeting,  but  I  have  looked  in  vain ;  I  am  the  only 
one.  I  have  travelled  with  the  missionaries  in  taking  the 
Bible  to  the  Bushmen  and  other  nations.  Where  the  word 
of  God  has  been  preached,  the  Bushman  has  thrown  away 
his  bow  and  arrows.  I  have  accompanied  the  Bible  to  the 
Caflfre  nation,  and  when  the  Bible  spoke  the  Caffre  threw 
away  his  shield  and  all  his  vain  customs.  I  went  to  Lat- 
takoo,  and  they  threw  away  all  their  evil  works ;  they 
threw  away  their  assagais,  and  became  the  children  of  God. 
The  only  way  to  reconcile  man  to  man  is  to  instruct  man 
in  the  truths  of  the  Bible.  I  say  again  the  Bible  is  the 
light;  and  where  the  Bible  comes  the  minds  of  men  are 
enlightened.  Where  the  Bible  is  not,  there  is  nothing  but 
darkness ;  it  is  dangerous  in  fact  to  travel  through  such  a 
nation.  Where  the  Bible  is  not,  man  does  not  hesitate  to 
kill  his  fellow  ;  he  never  even  repents  afterwards  of  having 
committed  murder.     I  thank  you  to-day ;  I  do  nothing  but 


TRANSLATIONS  AND  PRINTING.  145 

thank  you  to-day.  Are  there  any  of  the  old  Englishmen 
here  who  sent  out  the  word  of  God  "?  I  give  them  my 
thanks ;  if  there  are  not  I  give  it  to  their  children." 

On  the  occasion  of  his  first  visit  to  England,  when  as  yet 
the  people  had  only  the  Gospel  of  Luke  in  their  hands, 
Moffat  addressing  a  meeting  in  London  said  :  "  I  have  known 
individuals  to  come  hundreds  of  miles  to  obtain  copies  of 
St.  Luke.  Yes,  they  have  come,  and  driven  sheep  before 
them  to  obtain  these  copies.  They  did  not  intend  to  beg 
them,  but  to  buy  them.  And  could  you  have  beheld  with 
what  gratitude  and  feeling  they  received  these  portions  of 
God's  word,  you  would  be  animated  more  and  more  to  go 
on  in  the  blessed  work  of  preparing  the  word  of  God  for 
these  dark  benighted  nations.  I  have  known  families 
travel  fifty  or  sixty  miles  with  their  babes  on  their  shoulders 
to  come  and  ask  for  the  word  of  God.  And  why  %  Because 
they  had  acquired,  at  a  distance,  the  knowledge  of  reading, 
and  they  had  a  feeling  that  they  ought  to  buy  this  word, 
not  to  beg  it.  And  I  have  seen  them  receive  portions  of 
St.  Luke,  and  weep  over  them,  and  grasp  them  to  their 
bosoms,  and  shed  tears  o-f  thankfulness,  till  I  have  said  to 
more  than  one,  'You  will  spoil  your  books  with  your 
tears.' " 

In  the  same  speech  he  tells  how  a  man  seeing  a  number 
of  people  reading  the  Gospel  of  Luke,  said  to  them  :  "  What 
things  are  these  that  you  are  turning  over  and  over? 
What  in  the  world  is  this  that  I  see  among  the  people  1  Is 
it  foodr'  "No,"  they  replied,  "it  is  the  word  of  God." 
"Does  it  speak"?"  he  asked.  "Yes,"  said  they,  "it  speaks 
to  the  heart."  He  asked  a  chief  to  unravel  this  mystery 
to  him ;  when  the  chief  told  him  that  this  was  God's  Book, 
and  that  it  turned  people  upside  down  and  made  them 
new.  "  Do  they  eat  the  books  1 "  said  the  astonished  man. 
"  They  eat  them  with  the  soul,"  said  the  chief,  "  not  with 
the  mouth." 

10 


146  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

"Once,"  he  said,  "an  individual  came  to  me  to  speak 
about  his  soul.  I  asked  him  how  he  became  acquainted  with 
the  gospel.  He  said,  '  I  \vas  on  a  journey  and  I  sat 
down  to  rest  myself  by  the  side  of  a  shepherd,  who  was 
talking  to  something  I  could  not  understand.  I  asked  what 
he  was  doing,  and  he  said  he  was  reading.  I  inquired  what 
the  book  was,  and  desired  him  to  explain  it  to  me.  He  said 
it  was  the  word  of  God,  and  was  given  to  us  to  make  our 
dark  hearts  light,  to  turn  our  foolishness  into  wisdom,  and 
to  tell  us  that  after  we  have  lived  well  here  we  shall  go  to 
another  world  hereafter.'  This  man  came  to  me  to  learn 
to  read,  and  returned  home  with  the  Gospel  of  Luke.  In 
one  of  my  journeys  in  a  village  I  met  a  young  man  and  a 
number  of  women  ;  he  was  exhorting  them  to  be  faithful  and 
zealous,  and  diligent  in  reading  the  Scriptures.  He  said  to 
me,  'I  would  like  to  ask  you  one  question,  and  it  is  one  that 
has  made  us  talk  a  great  deal.  But  you  have  so  much 
wisdom  that  I  am  ashamed  to  ask  you.'  'What  is  it,'  said 
I.  At  last  he  said,  '  Did  those  holy  men  who  wrote  the 
word  of  God  know  that  there  were  Bechuanas  in  the  world  % ' 
My  reply  was,  that  certainly  the  word  of  God  was  intended 
for  all  men.  '  But  what  is  your  opinion  *? '  said  T.  He  said, 
'  I  think  they  did,  because  the  word  of  God  describes  every 
sin  the  wicked  Bechuanas  have  in  their  hearts.  You  know 
that  they  are  the  most  Avicked  people  in  the  world,  and  it  is 
all  described  in  tliat  book  ;  so  that  those  who  are  unconverted 
do  not  like  to  hear  us  read,  because  they  say  that  we  are 
turning  their  hearts  inside  out.'  " 

Moffat  finishes  his  marvellous  record  of  missionary  labour 
in  South  Africa  during  the  earlier  years  of  his  residence 
there  with  the  following  striking  illustration  of  the  value  of 
the  Bible,  and  with  it  we  close  this  chapter : — "  The  vast 
importance,"  he  says,  "of  having  the  Scriptures  in  the 
language  of  the  natives  will  be  seen  when  we  look  on  the 
scattered  towns  and  hamlets  which  stud  the  interior,  over 


TRANSLATIONS  AND  PRINTING.  147 

which  one  language,  with  slight  variations,  is  spoken  as  far  as 
the  Equator.  When  taught  to  read  they  have  in  their  hands 
the  means  not  only  of  recovering  them  from  their  natural 
darkness,  but  of  keeping  the  lamp  of  life  burning  even 
amidst  comparatively  desert  gloom.  In  one  of  my  early 
journeys  with  some  of  my  companions  we  came  to  a  heathen 
village  on  the  banks  of  the  Orange  Ptiver,  between  Namaqua 
Land  and  the  Griqua  country.^  We  had  travelled  far  and 
were  hungry,  thirsty,  and  fatigued.  From  the  fear  of  being 
exposed  to  lions  we  preferred  remaining  at  the  village  to 
proceeding  during  the  night.  The  people  at  the  village 
rather  roughly  directed  us  to  halt  at  a  distance.  We  asked 
water,  but  they  would  not  supply  it.  I  offered  the  three  or 
four  buttons  that  still  remained  on  my  jacket  for  a  little  milk; 
this  also  was  refused.  We  had  the  prospect  of  another 
hungry  night  at  a  distance  from  water,  though  within  sight 
of  the  river.  We  found  it  difficult  to  reconcile  ourselves 
to  our  lot,  for  in  addition  to  repeated  rebuffs,  the  manner  of 
the  villagers  excited  suspicion.  When  twilight  drew  on,  a 
woman  approached  from  the  height  beyond  which  the  village 
lay.  She  bore  on  her  head  a  bundle  of  wood,  and  had  a 
vessel  of  milk  in  her  hand.  The  latter,  without  opening  her 
lips,  she  handed  to  us,  laid  down  the  wood,  and  returned  to 
the  village.  A  second  time  she  approached  with  a  cooking 
♦vessel  on  her  head  and  a  leg  of  mutton  in  one  hand  and 
water  in  the  other.  She  sat  down  without  saying  a  word, 
prepared  the  fire  and  put  on  the  meat.  We  asked  her  again 
and  asain  who  she  was.  She  remained  silent  till  affection- 
ately  entreated  to  give  us  a  reason  for  such  unlooked  for 
kindness  to  strangers.  The  solitary  tear  stole  down  her  sable 
cheek,  when  she  replied,  '  I  love  Him  whose  servant  you  are, 
and  surely  it  is  my  duty  to  give  you  a  cup  of  cold  water  in 
His  name.  My  heart  is  full,  therefore  I  cannot  speak  the 
joy  I  feel  to  see  you  in  this  out-of-the-world  place.'  On 
learning  a  little  of  her  history,  and  that  she  was  a  solitary 


148  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

light  burning  in  a  dark  place,  I  asked  her  how  she  kept  up 
the  life  of  God  in  her  soul  in  the  entire  absence  of  the 
communion  of  saints.  She  drew  from  her  bosom  a  copy  of 
the  Dutch  New  Testament,  which  she  had  received  from  Mr. 
Helm  when  in  his  school  some  years  previous,  before  she  had 
been  compelled  by  her  connections  to  retire  to  her  present 
seclusion.  *  This,'  she  said,  '  is  the  fountain  whence  I  drink; 
this  is  the  oil  which  makes  my  lamp  burn.'  I  looked  on  the 
precious  relic,  printed  by  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society,  and  the  reader  may  conceive  how  I  felt,  and  my 
believing  companions  with  me,  when  we  met  with  this 
disciple,  and  mingled  our  sympathies  and  prayers  together 
at  the  throne  of  our  heavenly  Father." 


^^cic® 


CHAPTER   XTX. 


VISIT  TO  ENGLAND  AND  RETURN  TO  AFRICA. 


OR  the  long  space  of  twenty-three  years  Moffat  con- 
tinued his  arduous  labours  in  South  Africa  without 
once  returning  home  to  see  his  friends  or  recruit 
his  strength.  At  length  an  occasion  arose  which 
made  it  desirable  that  he  should  come  to  this  country  and 
make  some  little  stay.  He  had  completed  his  translation  of 
the  New  Testament  and  the  Psalms  into  Sechuana,  and  was 
anxious  to  have  it  printed  and  put  into  circulation  as  soon 
as  possible.  After  arrangements  had  been  made  for  doing 
^he  printing  at  the  Cape,  it  was  thought,  on  reflection, 
better  for  him  to  bring  the  manuscript  to  this  country  and 
have  it  printed  in  London,  where  he  might  have  the  aid  of 
the  Rev.  Joseph  Jowett,  the  Bible  Society's  editorial  super- 
intendent, with  other  advantages  not  to  be  commanded  at 
Cape  Town.  Accordingly,  in  1840,  he  and  his  excellent 
and  devoted  wife  left  for  a  season  their  work  in  Africa,  and 
appeared  in  England  among  their  Christian  friends. 

While  part  of  his  time  w^as  occupied  in  superintending 
his  translation  in  its  progress  through  the  press,  he  was 
busy  in  preparing  his  useful  and  interesting  volume, 
"Missionary    Labours   and    Scenes   in    South   Africa," — a 


150  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

work  wliich  had  a  lar2;e  circulation  in  its  oriajinal  form, 
and  the  cheap  edition  of  which  has  multiplied  to  thirty 
thousand  copies.  No  work  on  modern  missions  has  been 
read  with  greater  eagerness  and  delight,  or  done  more  to 
deepen  and  extend  the  interest  of  the  Christian  church  in 
missionary  operations. 

Moffat's  services,  too,  were  enlisted  by  the  London 
Missionary  Society,  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society, 
and  other  institutions,  to  advocate  their  claims  at  public 
meetings  throughout  the  country.  His  speeches  were  full 
of  striking  facts,  narratives  of  personal  adventure,  earnest 
and  exciting  appeals.  His  visits  were  welcomed  every- 
where, and  produced  the  most  favourable  results.  The 
then  Marquis  of  Bristol,  after  hearing  his  account  at  a 
public  meeting  of  the  progress  of  the  Gospel  in  South 
Africa,  turned  to  him  and  said,  "  1  must  see  you  again  ; 
this  is  grand."  Speaking  of  his  oratorical  power,  the  late 
Dr.  John  Campbell,  who  often  heard  him,  and  who  was 
a  most  competent  judge,  says  : — "  Mr.  Moffat  eminently 
possesses  the  poet's  eye ;  he  sees  everything  through  the 
medium  of  the  imagination,  and  Genius  stands  by  ready 
to  robe  his  perceptions  in  the  most  beautiful  attire.  The 
sovereignty  of  his  spirit  is  immediately  confessed  by  his 
hearers ;  and  in  spite  of  a  very  defective  manner,  and  a 
most  barbarous  elocution,  made  up  of  the  worst  Scottish 
dialect  disguised  in  divers  African  intonations,  he  reigns 
supreme  in  every  audience,  whether  metropolitan  or  pro- 
vincial." There  are  persons  still  living  who  can  well 
remember  the  fascination  which  his  speeches  and  addresses 
exercised  upon  all  wlio  heard  them.  The  thrilling  narra- 
tives, the  tender  feeling,  the  poetic  tone,  always  attracted 
and  deeply  impressed  the  lovers  of  missions. 

Missionary  meetings  were  very  different  gatherings  forty 
years  ago  from  what  they  are  now.  Now,  as  a  rule,  they  are 
very  indifferently  attended,  and  too  often  those  who  address 


VISIT  TO  ENGLAND.  151 

them  are  anything  but  instructive  or  interesting.  There  is 
as  much  sympathy  as  ever  with  missionary  operations,  but 
it  does  not  shew  itself  at  missionary  meetings.  Forty  years 
ago  they  were  the  best  attended,  the  most  enthusiastic,  and 
the  most  profitable  Christian  seasons  of  the  church.  Many 
a  youth  was  constrained  by  what  he  heard  on  such  occasions 
to  yield  himself  to  Christ,  and  many  a  Christian  youth  was  led 
to  engage  in  active  service  in  the  Lord's  work  either  at  home 
or  abroad.  Mofiat's  deputation  addresses  were  eminently 
blessed  in  producing  these  results.  One  of.  his  speeches  in 
Scotland  was  the  means  of  inducing  William  Koss  to  enlist 
for  missionary  services  in  Africa,  where  he  proved  himself 
for  upwards  of  twenty  years  a  most  earnest  and  useful 
labourer.  Mr.  Koss  as  a  youth  followed  the  plough  in  the 
Carse  of  Gowrie,  and  afterv/ards  served  an  apprenticeship 
as  a  house-carpenter.  He  went  to  St.  Andrews'  University 
and  passed  a  regular  course  there,  went  through  his  theo- 
logical curriculum  in  Edinburgh,  became  a  licentiate  of 
one  of  the  Presbyterian  Churches  in  Scotland,  and  then, 
moved  by  the  earnest  and  eloquent  appeals  of  Moflat,  went 
out  to  Africa,  and  from  1842  to  1863,  when  he  died, 
laboured  unweariedly  among  the  Bechuanas. 

Moffat  possessed  the  rare  faculty  of  speaking  with  effect 
to  children.  Many  persons  who  address  children  think  that 
to  secure  the  attention  of  their  audience  it  is  necessary  to 
be  childish.  Others  again  shoot  far  above  the  heads  of  the 
little  ones ;  not  half  they  say  is  understood.  There  is  no 
subject  about  which  men  more  miscalculate  their  gifts  than 
that  of  addressing  children.  Moffat  could  speak  as  effectivel}'' 
to  an  audience  of  children  as  to  an  audience  of  adults.  The 
Rev.  Samuel  Goodall,  late  of  Durham,  says  he  heard  him 
on  one  occasion  address  a  large  congregation  of  Sunday 
school  children  in  the  north  for  an  hour  and  a  half,  and  hold 
them  in  fixed  attention  throughout  the  whole  of  the  time. 
This  was  the  case  all  over  the  country.     At  juvenile  mis- 


152  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

sionary  meetings  he  was  a  king.  The  result  was  that 
the  Sunday  schools  and  the  youthful  part  of  the  Christian 
congregations  of  that  day  were  thoroughly  impregnated  with 
a  missionary  spirit^  and  a  powerful  impetus  was  given  to 
the  missionary  cause. 

In  the  beginning  of  1843  Mr,  Moffat  and  his  wife  sailed 
again  for  Africa.  The  home  visit  had  been  very  refreshing 
to  his  own  heart,  and  had  proved  a  rich  blessing  to  the 
British  churches.  The  awakened  interest  in  the  condition 
of  the  heathen  abroad  had  not  only  given  fresh  life  to  foreign 
missionary  effort,  it  was  attended  by  increased  concern  and 
more  earnest  endeavour  for  the  conversion  of  sinners  at 
home.  The  African  missionary  was  now  known  by  name 
throughout  Christendom,  and  henceforth  the  eyes  of  all  the 
churches  were  directed  to  his  distant  station.  On  his 
return  to  Kuruman,  accompanied  by  three  or  four  new 
helpers  to  reinforce  the  mission,  the  work  was  prosecuted 
with  renewed  vigour  and  marked  success.  It  was  then, 
•urged  by  Livingstone  and  his  other  coadjutors,  he  applied 
himself  to  the  translation  of  the  Old  Testament.  It  was  a 
labour  of  years,  as  Ave  have  seen,  but  he  went  on  with  it  as 
he  had  leisure  daily  and  nightly  without  intermission. 

The  year  1846  was  a  year  fraught  with  much  encourage- 
ment. Nearly  fifty  members  were  added  to  the  church  of 
■Nvhich  Moffat  was  pastor,  and  at  the  out-stations  the  blessing 
of  God  was  vouchsafed  to  the  simple  efforts  of  the  native 
assistants.  In  all  its  departments  the  mission  was  advancing, 
and,  in  the  peaceful  death  of  the  chief  Matebe,  Moffat  had 
witnessed  a  conspicuous  proof  of  the  Gospel  over  barbarian 
minds.  The  following  year,  on  the  contrary,  was  one  of 
peculiar  trouble  and  anxiety.  From  long  and  severe  drought 
the  crops  had  almost  wholly  failed,  and  distress  and  dismay 
were  general.  While,  however,  this  disaster  hindered  the 
work  of  grace  in  the  individual  heart,  the  preparatory  work 
of  instruction  knew  no  intermission.     "  As  some  portions  of 


VISIT  TO  ENGLAND.  153 

the  Sechuana  Scriptures  were  passed  through  the  mission 
press,  others  were  being  rendered  into  that  language  by  the 
indefatigable  leader  of  the  missionary  host.  While  the 
father  was  producing  ten  thousand  copies  of  the  erudite 
Assembly's  Catechism  in  the  rudest  of  tongues,  and  while 
the  Proverbs  of  Solomon,  simultaneously  with  the  Pilgrim 
of  Bunyan,  were  issuing  in  the  speech  of  the  Bechuanas 
from  the  same  press,  the  daughter  in  her  infant  school  was 
preparing  the  babes  and  sucklings  of  the  tribe  to  appreciate 
and  enjoy  them.  From  year  to  year  the  Avork  of  Christian 
education  proceeded,  not  indeed  at  those  large  and  rapid 
strides  to  which  older  races  are  accustomed,  yet  with  a  sure 
though  gradual  advance.  Few  years  passed  without  some 
additions  to  the  church.  These  it  is  evident  might  easily 
have  been  more  frequent  and  more  numerous,  but  for  the 
conscientious  care  judiciously  taken  to  guard  against  the 
premature  entrance  of  imperfectly  converted  or  slenderly 
informed  candidates." 

It  was  found  necessary  now  and  again  to  exercise  extreme 
discipline  upon  great  or  persisting  offenders ;  still,  those 
who  were  cut  off  from  church  communion  were  neither 
forgotten  nor  neglected,  and  the  missionary  frequently  had 
the  joy  of  readmitting  the  penitent  to  Christian  fellowship. 
The  year  1851  was  a  year  of  excessive  and  protracted 
drought.  For  nine  months  there  was  no  moisture  ;  and, 
except  upon  spots  watered  by  artificial  means,  the  country 
was  without  harvest,  without  grass,  and  without  milk. 
Like  Elijah  of  old,  Moffat  carried  the  matter  to  God  in 
persevering  prayer,  and  at  length  there  came  an  abundance 
of  rain.  The  year  1852  was  one  of  mingled  encourage- 
ment and  trial.  Some  of  the  church  members  brought 
dishonour  on  their  Christian  profession,  and  grieved  their 
pastor's  heart ;  yet  as  many  as  seven  native  evangelists 
had  by  this  time  gone  forth  from  Kuruman,  and  were 
labouring  in  different    districts  with   encouraging   success. 


154  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

By  the  death  of  Mr.  Hamilton,  Moffat  lost  a  faithful 
colleague,  with  whom  he  had  been  united  in  labour  for 
thirty -four  years.  In  Mr.  Ashton,  however,  the  missionary 
had  received  a  most  vigorous,  active,  and  able  helper. 
While  the  country  beyond  was  greatly  disturbed  by  the 
marauding  attacks  of  the  Boers,  Kuruman  was  mercifully 
exempt  from  their  rude  and  robber-like  incursions.  "The 
state  of  the  mother  and  daughter  churches  grew  more 
encouraging,  the  minds  of  the  people  were  better  informed, 
their  grounds  were  being  brought  under  more  careful  culti- 
vation, and  not  a  few  made  a  livelihood  out  of  the  produce 
of  their  gardens,  besides  the  purchase  of  tools  and  clothes. 
Beyond  Kuruman,  necessity,  the  mother  of  invention,  had 
stimulated  the  native  mind ;  and  in  imitation  of  their  more 
advanced  countrymen  the  outlying  people  began  to  work 
the  fountains  and  lead  out  the  waters.  Indicative  of  a  true 
and  therefore  lasting  civilization,  the  greater  permanence  of 
the  new  state  of  things,  and  the  more  settled  ways  of  the 
people,  were  almost  uniformly  found  in  connection  with  the 
power  of  reading  with  ease,  and  the  capability  of  conducting 
religious  services."  Moffat  sighed  for  more  conversions 
among  the  people,  but  rejoiced  in  the  fact  that  the  nev/ 
habits  of  life  were  taking  firmer  hold  upon  them,  and  that 
the  example  set  by  their  moral  and  intellectual  leaders 
were  conducting  them  up  the  path  of  true  progress. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

SECIIELE,    CHIEF    OF    THE    BAKWENA. 

N  1840  David  Livingstone  landed  at  Cape  Town, 
having  been  sent  out  by  the  London  Missionary 
Society  to  join  the  missionary  staff  in  South  Africa. 
In  accordance  with  his  instructions,  after  a  brief 
stay  at  the  Cape  he  proceeded  to  Kuruman,  with  the  view 
of  establishing  a  mission  station  still  further  to  the  north, 
where  ground  had  not  yet  been  broken.  At  Kuruman  he 
found  Moffat  and  his  coadjutors  hard  at  work,  and  remained 
with  them  a  few  months  familiarising  himself  with  their 
mode  of  operations,  making  himself  acquainted  with  the 
Bechuana  people — Sechele,  chief  of  the  Bakwena,  one  of 
their  tribes,  being  favourable  to  his  projects. 

Sechele  was  a  remarkable  man,  as  had  also  been  his 
father  and  grandfather  before  him ;  the  latter  was  a  great 
traveller,  and  the  first  who  had  ever  told  his  people  of  the 
existence  of  a  race  of  white  men.  During  his  father's  life 
the  two  distinguished  travellers,  Dr.  Cowan  and  Captain 
Donovan,  lost  their  lives  in  his  territory,  and  were  supposed 
to  have  been  murdered  by  the  Bakwena,  until  Livingstone 
learned  from  Sechele  that  they  had  died  from  fever  in 
descending  the  river  Limpopo,  after  they  had  been  hospitably 


15G  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


entertained  by  his  father  and  his  people.  The  father  of 
Sechele  was  murdered  when  he  was  a  boy.  and  a  usurper 
proclaimed  himself  the  head  of  the  tribe.  The  friends  of 
the  children  applied  to  Sebituane,  chief  of  the  Makololo,  to 
reinstate  them,  which  he  successfully  accomplished, 

Livingstone  settled  as  a  missionary  among  the  Bakwena 
at  Kolobeng,  and  the  first  time  he  held  a  public  religious 
service  with  them  Sechele  listened  with  much  attention. 
Receiving  permission  to  ask  questions  regarding  what  he 
had  heard,  he  inquired  if  the  missionary's  forefathers  knew 
of  a  future  judgment,  and  on  receiving  an  affirmative 
answer,  he  said,  "  You  startle  me ;  these  words  make  all 
my  bones  to  shake ;  I  have  no  more  strength  in  me.  But 
my  forefathers  were  living  at  the  same  time  yours  were, 
and  how  is  it  they  did  not  send  to  tell  them  about  these 
things  1  They  all  passed  away  into  darkness  without 
knowing  whither  they  were  going." 

So  eager  was  Sechele  to  learn  to  read  that  he  learnt  the 
alphabet  the  first  day  of  Livingstone's  settlement  with  him. 
After  he  was  able  to  read,  nothing  gave  him  greater 
pleasure  than  to  read  the  Bible.  Isaiah  was  his  favourite 
book,  and  he  would  frequently  say,  "  He  was  a  fine  man, 
that  Isaiah;  he  knew  how  to  speak,"  At  his  own  request 
Livingstone  held  family  worship  in  his  hut,  in  the  hope 
that  it  might  induce  his  people  to  embrace  Christianity. 
Speaking  of  the  influence  of  the  example  of  a  chief  in  all 
other  tilings,  he  said  bitterly,  "  I  love  the  Word  of  God, 
and  not  one  of  my  brethren  will  join  me."  He  frequently 
remarked,  with  reference  to  the  difliculties  in  the  way  of  an 
open  profession  of  Christianity,  especially  as  regarded  the 
number  of  his  wives,  the  putting  away  of  all  of  whom,  save 
one,  would  get  him  into  trouble  with  their  relatives,  "  Oh,  I 
wish  you  had  come  to  this  country  before  I  became  entangled 
in  the  meshes  of  our  customs."  When  at  length  he  deter- 
mined on  publicly  uniting  himself  with  the  Christian  church, 


SECHELE,  CHIEF  OF  THE  BAKWENA.       157 


he  sent  all  his  superfluous  wives  to  their  parents,  with  all 
the  goods  and  chattels  they  had  been  in  the  habit  of  using, 
intimating  that  he  found  no  fault  with  them,  but  must 
follow  the  will  of  God.  Crowds  attended  to  witness  his 
baptism,  many  of  them  shedding  tears  of  sorrow  over  what 
they  termed  the  weakness  of  their  chief  in  forsaking  the 
ways  of  his  forefathers. 

After  remaining  some  years  -at  Kolobeng  with  Sechele 
and  his  tribe,  Livingstone  began  his  great  journeys  of 
discovery.  When  the  chief  found  that  the  missionary  was 
resolved  to  leave  him,  he  determined  to  send  his  five  eldest 
children  to  the  Kuruman  station,  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moffat 
might  educate  them  on  Christian  principles.  The  mothers 
and  other  relations  of  the  children  strongly  objected  to  this 
course,  and  did  what  they  could  to  prevent  them  from 
going ;  but  sorry  as  their  father  himself  was  to  part  with 
them,  as  he  believed  it  was  for  their  good,  he  sent  them 
away.  Although  no  previous  intimation  had  been  given 
of  their  coming,  they  found  at  the  mission  station  a 
hearty  welcome.  While  the  children  were  thus  safe  among 
Christian  friends,  the  father  was  in  danger  and  trouble. 
The  Boers  had  already  broken  up  and  sacked  several  mission 
stations,  conquering  the  tribes  which  gave  them  shelter,  and 
carrying  away  men  and  women  as  slaves.  But  Livingstone 
afiid  the  Bakwena  escaped  until  he  was  absent  on  his  first 
journey  to  Lake  Ngami,  when  four  hundred  armed  Boers 
attacked  Sechele,  slaughtered  a  considerable  number  of 
adults,  and  carried  away  over  two  hundred  children  as 
captives,  among  whom  were  two  of  Sechele's  own  little 
ones.  The  Bakwena  defended  themselves  bravely  until 
nightfall,  killing  eight  of  the  Boers,  when  they  retreated  to 
the  mountains.  Under  the  pretext  that  Livingstone  had 
taught  them  to  defend  themselves,  and  was  consequently 
responsible  for  the  slaughter  of  their  fellows,  the  Boers 
plundered    his   house,   destroyed    his   books    and    stock   of 


158  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


medicines,  and  carried  off  his  furniture  and  clothing,  and 
large  quantities  of  stores  left  by  English  gentlemen,  who 
had  gone  northwards  to  hunt;  and  sold  them  to  pay  the 
expenses  of  their  lawless  raid. 

Sechele  had  now  no  home.  He  sent  tidings  of  the  attack 
to  Moffat  at  Kuruman  by  his  wife  Masabele.  She  had 
been  hidden  in  the  cleft  of  a  rock  over  which  a  number  of 
Boers  were  firing.  Her  infant  (whom  she  now  carried  to 
Kuruman)  began  to  cry,  and  terrified  lest  this  should  attract 
the  attention  of  the  men,  the  muzzles  of  whose  guns  appeared 
at  every  discharge  over  her  head,  she  took  off  her  armlets 
as  playthings  to  quiet  the  child.  The  letter  which  her 
husband  sent  by  her  to  Moffat  tells  its  own  tale.  The 
following  is  as  nearly  as  possible  a  literal  translation  : — 

"  Friend  of  my  heart's  love,  and  of  all  the  confidence  of 
my  heart,  I  am  undone  by  the  Boers,  who  attacked  me, 
though  I  had  no  guilt  with  them.  They  demanded  that  I 
should  be  in  their  kingdom,  and  I  refused ;  they  demanded 
that  I  should  prevent  the  English  and  Griquas  from  passing 
(northwards).  I  replied  :  '  These  are  my  friends,  and  I  can 
prevent  no  one  (of  them).  They  came  on  Saturday,  and  I 
besought  them  not  to  fight  on  Sunday,  and  they  assented. 
They  began  on  Monday  morning  at  twilight,  and  fired  with 
all  their  might,  and  burned  the  town  with  fire  and  scattered 
us.  They  killed  sixty  of  my  people,  and  captured  women 
and  children  and  men,  and  the  mother  of  Baleriling  (a 
former  wife  of  Sechele)  they  also  took  prisoner.  They  took 
all  the  cattle  and  all  the  goods  of  the  Bakwena,  and  the 
liouse  of  Livingstone  they  plundered,  taking  away  all  his 
goods.  The  number  of  waggons  they  had  was  eighty-five, 
and  a  cannon  ;  and  when  they  had  stolen  my  own  waggon, 
and  that  of  Macabe,  then  the  number  of  their  waggons 
(counting  the  cannon  as  one)  was  eighty-eight.  All  the 
goods  of  the  hunters  (certain  English  gentlemen  hunting 
and  exploring  in  the  nortli)  were  burned  in  the  town,  and 


SECHELE,  CHIEF  OF  THE  BAKWENA.       159 

of  the  Boers  were  killed  twenty-eight.  Yes,  my  beloved 
friends,  now  my  wife  goes  to  see  the  children,  and  Kobus 
Hae  will  carry  her  to  you. — I  am,  Sechele,  the  son  of 
Mochoasele." 

Having  sent  his  wife  with  the  above  letter  to  Moffat, 
Sechele  set  out  for  the  Cape,  purposing  to  visit  England 
and  lay  his  case  before  the  Queen.  He  resolved  to  tell  her 
of  the  unjust  and  cruel  conduct  of  the  Boers,  and  ask  her  to 
make  them  give  up  the  prisoners  they  had  carried  away  ; 
but  when  he  reached  Cape  Town  and  saw  the  sea,  and 
learnt  its  extent  and  the  cost  of  his  intended  voyage,  he 
was  constrained  to  relinquish  his  purpose  and  return  home. 
His  people  recovered  from  their  alarm  and  rebuilt  their 
ruined  town,  and  Sechele  became  a  more  powerful  chief 
than  before. 

When  Moffat  some  time  after  left  Kuruman  to  take 
letters  and  other  things  that  Livingstone,  who  was  then  on 
his  travels,  might  need  to  Linyanti,  he  called  at  Kolobeng  to 
see  Sechele.  The  chief  was  very  pleased  to  see  his  old 
friend.  When  he  heard  the  waggons  were  approaching  he 
went  out,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  children,  to  receive 
his  visitors.  Moffat  and  his  friend  accompanied  him  home. 
There  was  a  verandah  outside  the  front  of  his  house,  and 
behind  were  courts  and  sheds,  in  which  corn,  pumpkins, 
dried  water-melons,  and  other  fruits  of  the  earth  were 
stored.  The  house  was  large  and  convenient,  and  partitioned 
so  as  to  make  a  sitting-room  on  one  side  and  a  bed-room  on 
the  other.  The  floor  was  hard  and  clean.  Guns,  bullet- 
pouches,  and  powder-horns  hung  on  the  walls.  In  the 
sitting-room  were  chairs  and  a  table,  and  at  a  fire  the  maids 
were  cooking.  Clean  scoured  bowls  were  placed  on  the 
table,  and  the  contents  of  the  pot  on  the  fire  soon  poured 
into  them.  Clean  spoons  were  handed  to  Moffat  and  his 
two  companions,  Messrs.  Edwards  and  Chapman,  with  the 
help  of  which  they  quickly  consumed  their  porridge.     The 


160  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

chief  and  his  wife  and  children  were  all  neatly  dressed,  and 
had  a  most  respectable  appearance. 

As  the  sun  sank  in  the  west  a  bell  was  rung  to  call  the 
people  to  school.  The  missionary,  anxious  to  see  in  what 
condition  the  school  was,  how  many  availed  themselves  of 
its  advantages,  and  what  they  were  learning,  went  with  the 
chief  to  the  school-house.  The  appearance  of  the  place  was 
not  clean  and  orderly ;  the  attendance  was  scanty.  A 
hymn  was  sung,  when  the  teacher  read  a  chapter  from  the 
New  Testament,  Moflfat's  translation  of  course ;  another 
hymn  was  sung,  and  then  began  a  reading  lesson.  There 
appeared  a  general  neglect  of  learning. 

The  next  day  Moffat  had  a  long  talk  of  the  highest  im- 
portance with  Sechele  about  his  own  spiritual  state,  the 
moral  condition  of  the  family,  and  the  aspect  of  the  com- 
munity generally.  The  elder  children  wished  to  return  to 
heathenism,  although  they  had  been  under  Christian 
influences  in  the  missionary's  family  at  Kuruman,  and  had 
seen  its  superiority  over  the  religion  of  their  ancestors. 
This  was  a  great  grief  to  their  father,  who  desired  that 
Moffat  would  point  out  to  them  their  folly  and  wickedness, 
and  endeavour  to  lead  them  back  into  the  ris^ht  wav. 
Having  finished  his  visit  to  his  friend,  and  encouraged  hmi 
to  persevere  in  the  faith  and  practice  of  the  gospel,  and 
having  done  what  he  could  to  establish  the  wavering  chil- 
dren, and  save  them  from  relapsing  into  heathenism,  Moffiit 
with  his  party  proceeded  on  their  journey. 

It  is  interesting?  to  see,  in  connection  with  the  foreofoino: 
record,  Mr  Mackenzie's  account  of  Sechele  when  he  visited 
him  at  Liteyana  in  1860  : — "Two  days  after  our  departure 
from  Kanye  we  reached  Liteyana,  which  was  then  the 
residence  of  the  Bakwena  tribe  under  the  chief  Sechele. 
Our  reception  here  was  gratifying;  the  chief  himself  made 
his  appearance  at  the  waggon,  and  politely  greeting  us  in 
English  fashion,  offered  us  also  the  African  welcome  of  an 


SECHELE,  CHIEF  OF  THE  BAKWENA.       161 

ox  for  slaughter,  which  was  accordingly  shot  on  the  spot. 
Secliele  was  the  finest  specimen  of  the  Bechuanas  which  I 
had  yet  seen,  being  tall  and  well  made,  with  a  good  head, 
an  open  countenance,  and  unusually  large  eyes.  His  dress 
was  somewhat  singular.  At  one  time  he  appeared  in  a  suit 
of  tiger-skin  clothes  made  in  European  fashion.  On 
another  broiling  day  he  was  dressed  in  an  immense  Mack- 
intosh overcoat,  with  huge  water-boots.  After  a  youth  of 
romantic  adventure  and  great  hardship,  Sechele  found 
himself  at  the  head  of  the  Bakwena,  then  considerably 
reduced  owinsc  to  recent  wars  and  dissensions.  In  1842 
he  was  first  visited  by  Dr.  Livingstone,  who  was  to  exer- 
cise so  much  influence  over  his  mind.  The  doctor  after- 
wards resided  with  the  Bakwena,  and  Sechele  gave  himself 
to  instruction,  and  proved  himself  an  apt  scholar.  I  should 
say  there  is  no  native  in  Bechuana  land  better  acquainted 
with  the  Bible  than  Sechele.  I  have  heard  Dutchmen 
describe  with  amazement  his  readiness  in  finding  texts  in 
both  Old  and  New  Testaments^  but  especially  the  former. 

"  After  some  three  years'  probation  Dr.  Livingstone 
admitted  Sechele  into  the  church  by  baptism.  So  long  as 
the  encouraging  and  stimulating  influence  of  his  teacher 
was  near  to  him,  this  chief's  conduct  would  seem  to  have 
been  all  that  could  be  desired ;  but  this  consistency  was  not 
kept  up  after  the  Dutchmen  had  attacked  his  town,  and  he 
was  left  alone  to  pursue  his  own  course  amid  the  querulous 
taunts  of  his  own  people.  He  was  well-nigh  alone  in  his 
tribe  in  his  professioii  of  Christianity ;  and  many  of  his 
people  refused  to  see  more  in  it  than  a  vain  desire  to  make 
himself  a  'white  man.'  Then  the  rain-making  and  other 
customs  were  still  carried  on  in  the  town,  and  at  the  expense 
of  a  younger  brother  of  the  chief  called  Khosilintsi.  But  if 
this  person  paid  for  the  rain,  and  otherwise  performed  the 
'  orthodox '  customs  every  year,  he  would,  in  point  of  fact, 
be  the  preserver  of  the  town,  and  its  virtual  head  in  the 

11 


162  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

public  estimation.  I  believe  Secliele's  first  compromise  of 
principle  ^vas  an  interference  to  arrest  what  he  supposed 
would  lead  to  the  total  subversion  of  his  power.  He  resolved 
himself  to  send  for  rain-makers,  and  pay  them  out  of  his 
own  cattle.  At  first  this  compromise  was  secret  and  un- 
acknowledged, but  it  became  gradually  known  in  the  country 
that  *  Sechele  was  now  making  rain.'  By  and  by  the  secrecy 
was  thrown  aside,  and  he  openly  assisted  in  the  performance 
of  heathen  ceremonies. 

"But  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  all  this  time  this 
singular  man  was  most  exact  in  the  observance  of  private 
and  family  prayers,  and  stood  up  regularly  every  Sunday  to 
preach  to  the  Bakwena.  His  position  seemed  to  be  one 
w^hich  he  has  not  been  by  any  means  the  first  to  occupy — 
that  Christianity  might  be  engrafted  upon  heathen  customs, 
and  that  the  two  would  go  together.  For  instance,  he  him- 
self would  go  with  the  people  in  their  rain-making  ceremonies, 
but  he  Avould  not  neglect  at  the  same  time  to  pray  to  God. 
He  would  use  charms  and  incantations,  wasliings  and  purify- 
ings  according  to  the  old  rule,  and  yet  profess  faitli  in  Him 
whose  blood  cleanseth  f rom  all  sin.  The  Bible,  in  short,  did 
not  require  him  to  give  up  the  customs  of  his  ancestors 
although  it  required  him  to  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
He  could  be  an  orthodox  Bechuana  and  a  good  Christian  at 
the  same  time.  This  was  a  position  which  he  took  up,  and 
the  tenor  of  many  of  liis  discourses.  I  have  spent  many  of 
the  hours  of  night  with  tliis  clever  chief  in  the  earnest 
discussion  of  these  points.  When  one  after  another  his 
arguments  failed  him,  he  has  said  to  me,  '  You  have  con- 
quered :  your  idea  of  the  Christian  life  is  the  right  one, 
but  was  I  not  alone  1  What  is  one  man  against  all  the 
Bakwena  1 '  '  How  hard  it  is  for  us  all,  Sechele,  and  for  me 
as  well  as  for  you,  to  believe  that  God  with  us  is  greater 
than  all  who  can  be  against  us ! '  '  Munare '  (Sir),  he 
replied  with  feeling,    '  not  hard  for   you — you  are  a  mis- 


SECHELE,  CHIEF  OF  THE  BAKWENA.      163 


sionary ;  your  faith  is  great  j  but  hard  for  me,  who  am  chief 
of  a  heathen  town.'" 

At  the  time  of  Mr.  Mackenzie's  visit,  Liteyana  was 
under  the  care  of  missionaries  belonging  to  the  Hanoverian 
Society.  These  German  missionaries  w^ere  active,  devoted 
men.  "  Besides  attending  to  the  acquisition  of  the  language, 
they  had  built  a  dwelling-house  for  themselves  and  another 
for  the  chief.  The  latter  was  neatly  finished,  and  Sechele, 
who  had  been  to  Cape  Town  and  had  seen  the  interior  of 
many  English  homes,  was  very  careful  in  keeping  everything 
in  order.  Masabele,  his  wife,  w^as  well  dressed,  and  if  not 
quite  abreast  of  her  husband  as  to  politeness,  was  very  kind, 
and  interested  herself  much  in  making  inquiries  about  our 
relatives  in  England.  We  were  introduced  to  Sechele's 
family,  some  of  whom  had  been  to  Kuruman,  and  had 
resided  for  a  time  in  Mr.  Moffat's  house.  Like  the  chief 
himself,  these  young  people  were  kind,  intelligent,  and 
pleasant,  but  entirely  lacking  in  decided  views  or  strong 
preference  as  to  religion.  Compromise  seemed  the  motto 
of  all" 


CHAPTER   XXL 


SECOND  AND  THIRD  VISITS  TO  MOSELEKATSE. 


jOFFAT'S  close  and  continued  application  to  his  task 
of  translating  the  Scriptures  into  the  Sechuana 
tongue  interfered  so  seriously  with  his  health  that 
by  the  time  he  had  completed  the  Second  Book  of 
Kings  he  was  almost  incapacitated  to  proceed.  He  felt 
himself  that  he  needed  some  relaxation  and  change,  and 
the  Directors  of  the  London  Missionary  Society,  afraid  he 
was  killing  himself  with  overwork,  urged  him  either  to 
revisit  England  or  take  a  holiday  at  some  of  the  seaports  of 
the  colony.  With  his  characteristic  devotion  to  duty  he 
declined  these  invitations  to  what  he  considered  ease  and 
idleness,  and  determined  to  go  and  see  his  old  acquaintance 
Moselekatse,  who  was  known  to  occupy  the  country  to  the 
north  of  the  River  Limpopo,  and  try  the  effects  of  change 
of  air  there.  At  the  same  time  he  resolved  to  convey  letters 
and  supplies  to  Livingstone,  who  was  now  exploring  un- 
known regions,  and  engaged  in  his  memorable  journey 
across  the  African  continent.  If  he  returned  safely  from 
the  West  Coast,  it  was  desirable  that  supplies  should  reach 
him  at  Linyanti,  and  Moffat  hoped  to  get  Moselekats*^  t.o 
aid  him  in  forwarding  them. 


VISITS  TO  MOSELEKATSE.  165 

Two  travellers — Mr.  Chapman,  whose  name  has  been 
mentioned  before,  and  a  Mr.  Edwards — Avere  proceeding 
northwards,  in  May  1854,  on  a  hunting  and  trading  ex- 
pedition, and  Moffat  joined  them.  Mr.  Chapman  thus 
refers  to  the  circumstance  :  "  At  Kuruman  we  found  Mr. 
Moffat  in  rather  indifferent  health,  suffering  from  a  peculiar 
affection  of  the  head,  brought  on  by  close  application  to  his 
laborious  studies  in  translating  the  Bible.  On  learning 
that  Moselekatse's  was  our  destination  he  determined  to 
accompany  us.  He  had  previously  decided  on  accepting  an 
invitation  which  that  chieftain  had  given  him,  but  until  our 
arrival  had  given  up  the  idea  of  going  this  year."  They 
left  Kuruman  on  the  22nd  of  May,  and  travelling  by  easy 
stages  reached  Sekome's  Town  on  the  19th  of  June.  Here 
Messrs.  Edwards  and  Chapman  changed  their  original  pur- 
pose, and  resolved  to  part  company,  one  to  go  in  a  north- 
west direction,  the  other  to  pursue  a  north-easterly  course 
to  the  country  of  Moselekatse.  Having  determined  on  this 
plan,  they  drew  lots  for  the  choice,  and  it  fell  to  Mr. 
Edwards  to  visit  theMatabele  chief.  On  the  21st,  Edwards 
accompanied  by  Moffat  started  for  their  destination. 

There  was  no  road  or  track  to  guide  them,  and  they  had 
to  have  recourse  to  their  compass  in  threading  their  way 
through  the  prairies  of  long  grass,  through  dense  forests, 
and  across  rocky  ravines  and  hills.  At  length  they  met 
with  some  natives  who  were  subject  to  the  Matabele  king, 
and  whom  they  sent  forward  as  messengers  to  the  nearest 
,  village  to  announce  that  Moffat  (or  Moshete,  as  they  pro- 
nounced it)  of  Kuruman  w^as  seeking  Moselekatse.  Although 
those  who  heard  the  message  had  never  seen  Moffat  before, 
they  were  familiar  with  the  name,  and  assured  him  that  the 
king  had  long  been  inquiring  after  him,  and  would  receive 
him  with  delight.  A  week  afterwards  they  reached  his  royal 
residence.  Nearly  twenty  years  had  passed  since  the  bar- 
barian monarch  and  the  missionary  had  before  met.     The 


166  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

travellers  were  not  greeted  with  the  martial  display  which 
took  place  on  the  occasion  of  Moffat's  first  visit ;  still  the 
welcome  was  hearty,  and  the  scene  impressive. 

Moffat's  narrative  of  the  entire  visit  is  most  graphic  and 
interesting: — "When  we  at  last  reached  Mattokottoko,  we 
found  him  sick,  and  with  difficulty  brought  to  the  porch 
leading  to  his  residence.  I  saw  his  condition,  and  while 
with  one  hand  he  eagerly  grasped  mine,  he  appeared  deeply 
affected,  and  drew  his  mantle  over  his  face  with  the  other, 
unwilling,  I  suppose,  that  his  vassals,  who  sat  in  silence  at 
a  distance,  should  see  the  hero  of  a  hundred  battles  weep, 
even  though  it  were  for  joy.  After  becoming  composed,  he 
gave  full  expression  to  the  joy  he  felt  on  seeing  me  once 
more.  Pointing  to  his  feet,  he  said,  '  I  am  very  sick,  but 
your  God  has  sent  you  to  heal  me.'  Though  we  had  passed 
several  of  his  towns,  and  had  been  two  weeks  conversant 
with  his  people,  no  one  dared  to  whisper,  '  Moselekatse  is 
sick.'  The  fact  was  too  sacred  to  be  pronounced  by  vulgar 
lips.  Though  he  had  not  been  out  of  his  house  for  some 
time  before,  he  sat  the  livelong  day  (for  it  was  yet  early  when 
we  arrived)  looking  at  us  getting  everything  ready  for  the 
Sabbath.  And  a  season  of  rest  was  indeed  most  acceptable, 
after  a  most  harassing  month's  journey  from  the  Baman- 
quato,  during  which  we  were  very  often  obliged  to  use  our 
axes  from  the  time  of  unyoking  till  halting  for  the  night, 
cutting  our  way  through  thickets. 

"As  Moselekatse  very  naturally  felt  anxious  to  be 
restored  to  health,  I  engaged  to  prepare  for  him  suitable 
medicine,  provided  he  would,  like  myself,  drink  no  beer,  and 
eac  only  the  kind  of  food  I  prescribed.  To  this  he  most 
willingly  assented.  The  means  used  were,  by  God's  blessing, 
successful,  and  in  a  couple  of  weeks  he  was  on  liis  feet 
again,  to  his  great  joy  and  that  of  his  people.  There  I 
remained  for  more  than  four  weeks,  having  daily  intercourse 
with  the  groat  chief,  whose  kindness  was  unbounded.     But 


VISITS  TO  MOSELEKATSE.  167 

he  would  not  listen  to  my  plan  of  going  to  Sekeletue's 
country  in  search  of  Livingstone.  He  started  objections, 
and  raised  every  bugbear  he  could  think  of.  Though  he  had 
been  at  war  with  Sebetoane,  the  father  of  Sekeletue,  he  had 
no  idea  that  they  would  do  me  harm,  but  the  deadly  miasma 
of  the  country  beyond  he  thought  a  sufficient  reason  for  my 
not  attempting  the  journey.  I  assured  him  that  nothing  of 
that  kind  should  deter  me  from  undertaking  it. 

"  During  the  time  already  elapsed,  although  I  was  not  idle, 
I  could  not  prevail  on  Moselekatse  to  allow  me  to  proclaim 
to  him  and  his  people  the  truths  of  the  Gospel.     As  he 
could  refuse  me  nothing  that  I  thought  proper  to  ask,  he 
would  give  evasive  answers,  and  endeavour  to  assure  me 
that  he  believed  the  word  of  God  was  good  for  him,  but  at 
the  same  time  hinting  that  his  nobles  and  warriors  might 
not  like  it  from  the  principles  of  peace  it  inculcated.     But 
I  was  aware  that  they  were  really  desirous  of  hearing  those 
principles  inculcated  which  they  knew  had  had  a  salutary 
influence  on  the  mind  of  their  master  ever  since  my  last 
visit,  more  than  twenty  years  before.     Though  at  that  time 
I  was  barely  able  to  reach  his  understanding,  my  strong 
remonstrances   with   him    to   modify   the    severity    of    his 
government   had   produced  so  thorough  a   change   in   his 
views,  that  the  cruel  and  revolting  forms  of  execution  were 
nearly  obsolete,  while  a  sense  of  the  value  of  human  life 
and  the  guilt  of  shedding  human  blood  characterised  his 
measures   to   an    extent    his    subjects    had    never    before 
witnessed. 

"They  knew  nothing  about  the  nature  or  requirements 
of  the  Divine  word ;  for  to  harbour  the  idea  that  there  was 
a  God  greater  than  Moselekatse  would  be  viewed  as  the 
veriest  madness,  and  expose  any  one  to  the  danger  of  being 
hanged.  His  people,  though  nearly  all  youths  and  children 
when  I  last  visited  him,  knew  that  their  yoke  had  been 
made  lighter   in  consequehce  of  some  influence  or  charm 


168  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D, 

which  I  had  infused  into  the  heart  of  their  monarch,  and 
hence  the  general  joy  my  visit  imparted  to  all  ranks.  It 
■was  difficult  to  account  for  his  reluctance  to  allow  me  to 
preach  to  his  people,  except  it  was  from  the  impression  that 
the  exhibition  of  the  character  of  the  Divine  Being — life, 
death,  and  immortality — would  repress  the  martial  spirit  of 
his  warriors,  whose  highest  happiness  was  to  fight  for  or 
die  for  Moselekatse,  the  son  of  Machobane.  His  hand,  like 
that  of  Ishmael,  was  against  every  man,  and  every  man's 
hand  against  him,  and  to  his  soldiers  (and  every  man  of  the 
Matabele  is  a  soldier  ready  to  grasp  the  weapon  at  a 
moment's  notice)  he  looked  for  the  defence  and  security  of 
his  kingdom.  It  was  natural  for  me  to  feel  melancholy, 
situated  as  I  was,  surrounded  with  multitudes  of  savages 
who  loved  me,  and  yet  I  could  not  instruct  them.  I  tried 
at  times  to  look  morose,  while  he  would  try  in  vain  to  make 
me  smile.  I  used  to  say  pleasantly  that  if  he  would  not 
hear  of  my  Lord  and  Master  he  should  not  have  me,  neither 
would  I  receive  the  shadow  of  a  present  from  him,  but  that 
I  should  one  of  these  mornings  shoulder  my  gun  and  march 
off  to  Sekelete's  country.  I  cannot  now  describe  the  pro- 
cess by  which  I  at  last  overcame  his  objections.  The 
incident  was  unexpected  and  interesting.  He  gave  full 
permission  for  me  to  preach  to  him  and  his  warriors  the 
Gospel  of  salvation. 

"  Daily,  at  a  minute's  warning,  they  were  assembled  before 
me,  and  nearer  to  him,  who  sat  at  my  left  hand,  than  they 
dared  to  approach  on  any  other  occasion.  Never  in  my 
life  did  I  witness  such  riveted  attention  whilst  I,  amid  the 
stillness  of  the  grave,  published  to  them  the  Word  of  God. 
The  people  of  Moselekatse  exhibit  characteristics  of  intelli- 
gence far  above  the  neighbouring  tribes.  Numbers  were 
arriving  daily  at  headquarters,  and  returning  to  the  difierent 
towns  of  his  vast  dominions  to  l)ring  news  and  convey 
orders  and  instructions,  so  tliat  what  was  preached  in  the 


VISITS  TO  MOSELEKATSE.  169 

presence  of  Moselekatse  was  conveyed  to  the  extreme  ends  of 
his  territories ;  some  who  heard  it  at  second-hand  published 
to  others  at  a  distance  the  strange  news  that  had  been 
brought  to  the  ears  of  the  Matabele.  I  felt  that  my  prayers 
had  been  answered,  and  that  I  had  obtained  my  heart's  desire. 
After  concluding  the  first  day's  service  I  turned  to  Mosele- 
katse, and  laying  my  hand  on  his  shoulder,  said,  '  You  have 
now  made  me  happy ;  I  want  nothing  else  that  you  can 
give;  I  shall  sigh  no  more.'  'How,'  he  asked,  'can  you 
sigh  when  I  and  my  kingdom  are  at  your  disposal  %  You 
must  preach  daily,  and  receive  my  presents  also.' " 

This  visit  had  extended  over  a  month,  but  as  Moffat 
wanted  to  forward  Livingstone  the  letters  and  supplies,  he 
w^as  now  wishing  to  be  gone.  The  king  put  every  possible 
obstacle  in  his  way,  but  found  him  so  resolved  that  the  only 
resource  was  to  go  with  him,  as  he  did  not  wish  to  be 
separated  from  his  friend  "  Moshete."  Accordingly,  on  the 
day  that  Moffat  started  Moselekatse  appeared,  and  without 
any  ceremony  or  asking  any  permission,  told  his  men  to 
help  him  into  the  missionary's  waggon.  The  king's  own 
new  waggon  followed,  but  he  preferred  the  missionary's, 
and  made  himself  quite  at  home,  taking  possession  even  of 
the  bed.  Among  his  walking  attendants  were  many  of  his 
principal  men,  twenty  women  carrying  large  calabashes  of 
beer  on  their  heads,  and  others  carrying  karosses  and  food. 
The  want  of  roads  made  the  travelling  very  unpleasant  to 
the  king ;  he  could  walk  but  little,  and  as  the  waggon  jolted 
^  and  tilted  over  the  uneven  ground  he  was  unmercifully 
tumbled  about  and  bruised. 

At  last  the  travelling  was  brought  to  a  sudden  stop. 
Some  men  who  had  been  sent  forward  to  find  water 
returned  with  the  intelligence  that  it  would  take  the  oxen 
four  days  to  reach  the  next  supply  of  water,  and  that  it  was 
in  a  part  of  the  country  infested  with  the  tsetse.  Moffat 
told  the  kins  that  if  he  would  allow  him  to  take  some  of 


170  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

the  Matabele  to  help  to  carry  the  things,  he  would  walk  to 
Linyanti  with  them.  "If  you  go,"  said  Moselekatse,  "I 
will  go  too.  I  cannot  walk ;  more  men  must  go,  and  they 
shall  carry  me,  that  I  may  remain  with  you."  "Well," 
said  Moffat,  "  if  you  will  give  me  enough  men  to  carry  all 
Livingstone's  goods  to  Linyanti,  I  and  my  men  will  return 
with  you." 

To  the  arrangement  thus  proposed  the  king  at  length 
agreed.  A  selection  of  the  men  Lest  acquainted  with  the 
country  was  made,  who  were  repeatedly  instructed  what 
they  would  have  to  do.  Placing  the  hags,  parcels,  and 
boxes  on  their  heads  and  shoulders,  with  shields  and  spears 
in  their  hands,  they  marched  off  on  their  journey  through, 
perhaps,  as  wild  and  desolate  a  region  as  can  well  be  found 
— through  forests,  over  mountains  and  morasses — to  the 
country  of  those  who  were  their  enemies.  They  performed 
their  duty  faithfully,  leaving  the  goods  on  an  island  near 
the  Zambesi  Falls,  where  the  Makololo  took  charge  of  them, 
and  where  Livingstone  found  them  nearly  a  year  after- 
wards. 

While  Moffat  remained  with  the  king  waiting  the  return 
of  the  messengers  to  Linyanti,  he  preached  several  times. 
The  king  always  listened,  but  nothing  seemed  to  make  much 
impression  on  him.  Towards  the  end  of  October,  the  men 
having  come  back  from  Linyanti,  the  missionary  took  his 
leave.  The  king  pressed  him  to  prolong  his  stay,  pleading 
that  he  had  not  seen  enough  of  him,  and  that  he  had  not  yet 
shewn  him  sufficient  kindness.  "  Kindness !"  replied  Moffat, 
"you  have  overwhelmed  me  with  kindness,  and  I  shall  now 
return  with  a  heart  overflowinsj  with  thanks."  Leavingf 
him  a  supply  of  suitable  medicines  to  keep  his  system  in 
tolerable  order,  and  admonishing  him  to  give  up  beer- 
drinking,  and  to  receive  any  Christian  teacher  who  might 
come  as  he  had  received  him,  the  missionary  took  his 
departure. 


VISITS  TO  MOSELEKATSE.  171 

Moselekatse  himself  went  with  the  waggons  for  some 
distance,  and  then  with  great  reluctance  said  "Good-bye." 
He  took  Mr.  Moffat's  hand  at  parting,  and  said  with 
emphasis,  "May  God  take  care  of  you  on  the  road,  and 
bring  you  safe  to  Kuruman  and  Ma-Mary  (Mrs.  Moffat), 
Tell  her  how  glad  I  have  been  to  see  you."  Just  at  the 
last  moment  Moffat  became  very  unwell.  This  caused  the 
king  great  distress.  He  ordered  an  escort  of  men  to  go 
with  him  for  the  first  hundred  and  fifty  miles ;  and  six  of 
them  had  to  go  on  until  they  could  return  and  say  that 
*'  Moshete  "  was  quite  well  again. 

We  get  one  solitary  peep  of  the  missionary  on  his  home- 
ward journey  in  Mr.    Chapman's   "Travels."      Giving  an 
account  of  his  return  from  the  north-west,  he  says : — "  I 
remained  at  Lupepe  until  the  12th  of  November,  taking 
very  successful  lessons  from  the  Bushmen  in  honey-hunting 
and  stalking  game.      When  nearly  giving  up  all  hope  of 
meeting  my  friends,  Moffat  and  Edwards,  I  received  a  letter 
from  the  latter  informing  me  of  their  arrival  at  Sekome's 
Town.     Upon  this  I  immediately  saddled  horses  and  rode 
to  meet  them.      On   arriving  at   Sekome's   I   found   Mr. 
Moffat,  with  a  patriarchal  white  beard,  working  hard  at  a 
new  axle  for  his  waggon.     On  the  15th  of  November  we 
took  rather  a  melancholy  leave  of  Mr.  Moffat,  who  imme- 
diately  trekked   southward   for  Kuruman,    while    on   the 
following   day  we   steered   back  into  the  wilds,   not  well 
knowing  our  own  destination."     By  this  journey  Moffat's 
♦  health  was  much  improved,  his  intercourse  and  friendship 
with  the  people  of  the  interior  were  cemented  and  extended, 
and  he  looked  forward  with  hopeful  assurance  to  the  early 
extension  of  Christianity  to  these  distant  regions. 

The  visit  of  Livingstone  to  England  in  1856,  after  his 
memorable  walk  from  Loando  to  Quillemane — from  the 
shores  of  the  Atlantic  to  those  of  the  Indian  Ocean — gave 
a  fresh  impetus  to  the  cause  of  Foreign  Missions  in  this 


17-2  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

country.  The  great  object  he  aimed  to  enforce  upon  the 
public  mind  was  the  elevation  of  the  natives  of  Africa  ;  to 
him  "  the  end  of  the  geographical  feat  was  the  beginning  of 
the  missionary  enterprise."  The  London  Missionary  Society 
redoubled  their  generous  exertions,  and  resolved  to  extend 
their  labours  by  establishing  missions  among  the  Matabele 
and  the  Makololo.  Moffat,  in  his  home  at  Kuruman, 
received  the  news  with  great  gladness.  He  was  asked 
whether  he  could  go  to  Moselekatse  with  any  missionaries 
who  might  be  sent  out  to  settle  in  his  country,  and  stay  a 
few  months  until  they  were  fairly  established.  Moffat 
replied  that  he  was  sure,  if  the  king  was  still  alive,  he  would 
gladly  welcome  missionaries  to  live  in  his  country ;  and 
altnough  he  was  now  advanced  in  years,  he  set  out  at  once, 
with  all  the  ardour  of  youth,  for  the  Matabele  country,  in 
order  to  obtain  Moselekatse's  consent  to  the  settlement  of 
the  missionaries  among  his  people. 

Moffat  felt  the  paramount  necessity  of  giving  to  the  pro- 
posed mission  the  full  weight  of  his  influence  and  authority, 
in  order  to  secure  for  the  new  teachers  the  confidence  both 
of  the  king  and  of  his  people.  At  the  same  time  he 
endeavoured  to  make  careful  provision  for  the  future  aid  and 
comfort  of  those  brethren  who  would  thus  constitute  the 
advanced  outpost  of  Christianity  beyond  the  limits  of 
civilised  communication  in  that  distant  re2;ion.  "  There  is 
one  thing,"  he  writes  to  the  directors,  "  which  I  think 
ought  not  to  be  lost  sight  of ;  that  is,  an  intermediate 
station  as  a  connecting  Inik  between  this  and  Moselekatse, 
for  seven  hundred  miles  is  a  long  stretch  in  an  ox  waggon. 
This  station  ought  also  to  be  sufficiently  strong  to  allow  one 
missionary  to  itinerate  on  a  large  scale  ;  that  is,  so  as  to 
enable  him  to  go  and  remain  two  months  at  one,  and  then 
at  another,  or  more  interior  station." 

As  Moffat  again  approached  the  INIatabele  territory,  he 
was  gratified   to   learn  that  both  the  king  and  the  people 


VISITS  TO  MOSELEKATSE.  173 


waited  with  joyful  anticipation  to  see  him.  His  previous 
visits,  especially  the  last,  had  been  of  great  service  to  the 
Matabele ;  they  had  themselves  heard  what  the  missionary 
had  taught,  and  his  teaching  had  made  the  king  more  lenient 
and  forgiving,  and  had  influenced  him  to  modify  his  severe 
measures.  The  only  wish  now  was  that  Moffat  might  not 
relax  in  his  counsels,  and  that  the  king  might  become  a  still 
better  ruler. 

Moselekatse  extended  to  his  visitor  a  cordial  and  unre- 
served welcome,  and  once  more  the  voice  of  the  Christian 
teacher  was  heard  pleading  with  the  monarch  on  behalf  of 
the  captive  and  the  oppressed.  ^  Owing  to  illness,  the  king 
was  unable  to  appear  much  in  public,  but  in  his  own  resi- 
dence he  held  long  and  frequent  converse  with  his  old  friend 
and  counsellor.  At  an  early  interview  Moffat  made  known 
the  special  object  of  his  visit,  and  told  the  king  that  the 
Christians  in  England,  having  heard  of  his  willingness  to  be 
instructed,  had  resolved  to  send  him  two  teachers.  The 
king  at  once  replied,  "You  must  come  too.  How  shall  I 
get  on  with  people  I  do  not  know  if  you  are  not  with  me  % " 
Then,  snapping  his  fingers,  "  By  all  means — by  all  means," 
he  said,  "  bring  teachers ;  you  are  wise — you  are  able  to 
judge  what  is  good  for  me  and  my  people  better  than  I  am. 
The  land  is  yours,  you  must  do  for  it  what  you  think  is 
good."  He  was  told  that  nothing  was  required  but  a  place 
where  there  was  a  command  of  water,  where  the  missionaries 
could  live  and  teach  the  people ;  that  they  would  not  look 
to  him  for  food,  but  would  plant,  sow,  and  purchase  what 
they  might  require.  To  this  the  king  assented ;  and  though 
the  subject  was  frequently  referred  to  on  stibsequent  occa- 
sions, he  in  no  case  deviated  from  his  first  assent.  While 
Moffat  thus  obtained  the  king's  consent  to  receive  the  mis- 
sionaries, he  took  care  at  the  same  time  to  make  him  fully 
understand  the  nature  of  their  duties — that  he  was  not  to 
expect  that  they  would  ever  become  traders,  but  that  he 


174  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


would  have  to  look  for  foreign  supplies  to  those  other 
persons  who  made  it  their  business  to  traffic  in  the  country. 

A  striking  proof  of  Moffat's  influence  over  the  Matabele 
king  occurred  at  this  time,  in  the  deliverance,  at  his  inter- 
cession, of  a  princely  captive  then  in  his  power.  Macheng, 
the  captive,  was  a  young  man  of  about  twenty -six  years  of 
age,  the  son  of  the  former  king  of  the  Bamanguatos,  who 
was  killed  in  an  engagement  while  Macheng  was  yet  a  child. 
During  his  minority  the  boy  was  under  the  care  of  the  chief 
Sechele.  While  Sechele  was  absent  on  a  foray  some  of  the 
Matabele  fell  upon  his  undefended  town  and  carried  away 
many  captives,  among  whom  was  the  young  prince,  then 
only  ten  years  of  age.  He  had  continued  a  captive  for  six- 
teen years,  and  but  for  Moffat's  interference  would  in  all 
probability  have  remained  so  to  the  end  of  his  days.  When 
entreated  by  the  missionary  for  his  release,  the  king  said 
that  it  was  contrary  to  the  custom  of  the  Matabele  to  return 
a  royal  prisoner  to  his  people,  but  after  a  long  conversa- 
tion he  finally  placed  the  young  man  at  Moflfat's  disposal. 
Straightway  Macheng  was  called.  The  king,  sitting  in  his 
arm-chair,  said  :  "  Macheng,  man  of  Moffat,  go  with  your 
father.  We  have  arranged  respecting  you.  Moflfat  will 
take  you  back  to  Sechele.  That  is  my  wish  as  well  as  his, 
that  you  should  be  in  the  first  instance  restored  to  the  chief 
from  whom  you  were  taken  in  war.  When  captured  you 
were  a  child ;  I  have  reared  you  to  be  a  man."  Tones  so 
sweet  had  never  before  fallen  upon  the  captive's  ear.  The 
attendants  praised  the  greatness  and  goodness  of  their  king  ; 
while,  as  Moffat  left  the  royal  presence  to  return  to  his 
waggon,  the  shout  was  raised,  "  There  goes  Macheng ; 
Moffat  is  taking  Macheng  to  his  people." 

The  impression  which  this  liberation  of  Macheng  pro- 
duced on  the  surrounding  tribes  was  marvellous.  When 
Mofiat  arrived  with  his  charge  at  Sechele's  town,  he  with 
the  other  chiefs  of  his  tribe  met  them,  and  forming  a  pro- 


VISITS  TO  MOSELEKATSE.  175 

cession  marched  before  them  to  a  sort  of  natural  amphi- 
theatre, which  was  ci-owded  with  at  least  ten  thousand 
people,  all  dressed  out  in  their  various  equipments  of  war. 
After  Sechele  had  stood  up  and  commanded  silence,  he 
introduced  the  business  of  the  meeting. 

One  speaker  after  another  followed,  expressing  in  the 
most  enthusiastic  language  their  delight  at  the  return  of 
Macheng  from  captivity.  "Ye  tribes,  ye  children  of  the 
ancients,"  said  one  of  them,  "this  day  is  a  day  of  marvel. 
That  which  awakes  my  heart  to  wonder  is  to  see  the  Spirit's 
work.  My  thoughts  within  me  begin  to  move.  Verily 
the  things  I  have  seen  and  the^words  I  have  heard  assume 
stability.  When  I  first  heard  the  word  of  God  I  began  to 
ask,  Are  these  things  true  %  Now  the  confusion  of  my 
thoughts  and  of  my  soul  is  unravelled.  Now  I  begin  to 
perceive  that  those  who  preach  are  verily  true.  If  Moffat 
were  not  of  God  he  would  not  have  espoused  the  cause  of 
Sechele  in  receiving  his  words  and  delivering  Macheng 
from  the  dwelling-place  of  the  beasts  of  prey  to  which  we 
Bechuanas  dared  not  approach.  There  are  who  contend  that 
there  is  nothing  in  religion.  Let  such  to-day  throw  away 
their  unbelief.  If  Moffat  were  not  such  a  man  he  would 
not  have  done  Avhat  he  has  done,  in  bringing  him  who  was 
lost — him  who  was  dead — from  the  strono-  bondao-e  of  the 
mighty.  Moselekatse  is  a  lion ;  he  conquered  nations,  he 
robbed  the  strong  ones,  he  bereaved  mothers,  he  took  away 
the  son  of  Khari.  We  talk  of  love.  What  is  love  %  We 
hear  of  the  love  of  God.  Is  it  not  throuojh  the  love  of  God 
that  Macheng  is  among  us  to-day  1  A  stranger,  one  of 
a  nation — who  of  you  knows  its  distance  from  us? — he 
makes  himself  one  of  us,  enters  the  lion's  abode,  and  brings 
out  to  us  our  own  blood." 

One  of  the  Matabele  who  accompanied  Mofiat  and  the 
prince,  and  in  whose  charge  Macheng  had  been  placed 
during  his  captivity,  then  addressed  the  meeting  in  a  most 


176  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


touching  speech.  At  its  close,  looking  around  on  the  silent 
multitude,  he  asked  rather  sternly,  *'Ye  tribes,  why  did  ye 
covet  my  child '? "  and  then  turning  to  the  missionary  with 
softened  tone,  "  Why  did  you,  Moffat,  prevail  with  the  son 
of  Machobane  to  make  me  childless  ?  I  shall  return  to  the 
desert  and  weep.  He  is  gone  from  me,  but  I  shall  never 
forget  that  I  am  the  father  of  the  son  of  Khari,  who  is  now 
the  son  of  Moffat."  He  concluded  his  pathetic  address  with 
some  remarks  in  praise  of  Moselekatse.  The  whole  scene 
produced  a  thrilling  effect ;  and  the  minds  of  the  assembly 
which  had  been  taken  by  surprise  by  the  presence  of  the 
dreaded  Matabele  among  them  were  in  raptures  at  hearing 
such  expressions  of  kindly  feeling  from  those  who,  though 
distant,  had  been  till  then  a  terror  by  night  and  day.  Such 
a  demonstration  had  never  before  been  made  in  the  country, 
and  could  not  readily  be  forgotten. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

MATABELE   AND    MAKOLOLO    MISSIOIT. 


]Sr  returning  from  his  third  visit  to  Moselekatse,  MofTat 
went  to  Cape  Town,  and  met  Livingstone  (whom 
he  had  not  seen  for  six  years),  then  on  his  way  to 
the  Zambesi  to  prosecute  his  geographical  search, 
and  to  choose  a  site  for  the  ill-fated  University  Mission  in 
the  Shire  Valley.  A  few  months  afterwards,  in  July  1858,  he 
had  the  pleasure  of  welcoming  his  own  son,  John  Moffat, 
who  with  Messrs.  Price,  Thomas,  Sykes,  and  Mackenzie, 
had  arrived  from  England  to  labour  among  the  Matabele 
and  Makololo  Mr.  Mackenzie  thus  refers  to  Moffat's  wel- 
come : — "  Kind  friends  who  were  expecting  us  speedily 
boarded  our  vessel,  and  gave  us  a  very  hearty  welcome  to 
Africa.  One  of  the  first  of  these  was  the  Rev.  Robert 
Moffat,  and  we  were  delighted  to  meet  a  missionary  whose 
writings  and  whose  life  had  been  familiar  to  us  from  child- 
hood. Nor  were  we  alone  in  these  feelings.  '  Please  to 
introduce  me  to  Mr.  Moffat,'  said  a  fellow-passenger  to  me — 
a  young  officer  proceeding  to  join  his  regiment.  'My 
mother  would  be  so  pleased  to  hear  that  I  had  met  him  I ' " 
Here  also  Moffat  received  the  hearty  co-operation  of  Sir 
George    Grey,    Her   Majesty's    High    Commissioner,     who 

12 


178  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


warmly  encouraged  the  proposed  plans  for  extending 
Christianity  and  commerce  to  the  interior  tribes,  and  who 
arranged  with  him  for  establishing  a  postal  communication 
with  the  Zambesi  vid  Kuruman.  Having  completed  all  the 
preparations  which  human  foresight  could  devise  for  the 
success  of  the  enterprise,  he  started  off  with  the  mission 
party  for  their  destination.  At  Kuruman  they  divided — 
one  branch  going  to  the  Makololo,  the  other,  under  Moffat, 
to  the  Matabele. 

We  give  the  account  of  the  reception  and  first  experiences 
of  the  Matabele  party  supplied  by  Mr.  Mackenzie  : — "  The 
missionaries  destined  to  preach  the  gospel  among  the  Mata- 
bele arrived  at  the  headquarters  of  Moselekatse  on  the  28th 
October  1859.  As  pneumonia,  a  deadly  and  infectious 
disease,  had  broken  out  among  their  cattle,  as  soon  as  they 
reached  the  borders  of  Moselekatse's  country  they  sent 
forward  a  messenger  to  beg  the  use  of  the  chief's  draught 
oxen,  in  order  that  they  might  be  able  to  keep  their  own 
outside  the  country  until  the  disease  should  disappear  from 
among  them.  They  dreaded  the  consequence  of  associating 
their  arrival  in  the  country  with  the  coming  of  a  disease 
which  had  produced  such  ravages  wherever  it  hitherto  had 
appeared.  At  first  the  chief  invited  them  to  come  on,  with 
the  assurance  that  no  one  would  blame  them  even  if  the 
disease  did  break  out ;  but  afterwards,  on  a  second  messenger 
being  despatched  to  him,  he  took  the  warning,  and  expressed 
his  thanks  to  the  missionaries  for  their  interest  in  his  pros- 
perity, and  promised  to  send  them  assistance. 

''Instead  of  oxen,  however,  to  pull  the  waggons,  he  sent 
men,  avIio  took  to  their  tasks  cheerfully,  but  after  all  were 
not  able  to  compensate  for  the  absence  of  the  steady  and 
patient  oxen.  The  party  certainly  presented  a  novel  ap- 
pearance, with  Matabele  soldiers  in  the  place  of  oxen,  and 
the  sides  of  the  waggon  covered  with  shields  and  spears. 
Having  also  the  nightly  noise  of  the  men  at  their  camp-firea 


MATABELE  AND  MAKOLOLO  MISSION.     179 

close  to  the  waggons,  and  witnessing  daily  the  slaughtering 
and  eating  of  the  cattle  with  which  the  chief  kept  his 
soldiers  supplied,  the  young  missionaries  and  their  wives 
became  somewhat  accustomed  to  the  Matahele  before  they 
reached  their  destination.  At  length  the  chief  was  pleased 
to  accede  to  the  request  of  the  missionaries,  and  sent  his 
draught  oxen  to  relieve  the  soldiers  and  bring  forward  the 
waggons  to  his  encampment. 

"  Durino;  the  first  two  months  after  the  arrival  of  the  mis- 
sion  party  in  the  Matabele  country  their  position  was  a 
yQYj  unpleasant  and  trying  one.  After  the  first  civilities 
were  over,  the  manner  of  both  chief  and  people  completely 
changed.  Confidence  and  regard  gave  place  to  distrust  and 
unconcealed  aversion.  One  morning,  about  three  weeks 
after  their  arrival,  the  missionaries  observed  an  unusual  stir 
about  the  chief's  quarters.  He  was  leaving  for  another 
locality — the  waggons  were  already  moving ;  and  yet  the 
guests  had  received  no  intimation  or  explanation  from 
Moselekatse.  Having  no  oxen  in  the  country,  they  were  of 
course  fixtures  where  they  stood.  Mr.  Moffat  resolved  to 
ascertain  the  meaning  of  this  movement,  and  followed  the 
receding  party  for  some  distance  for  that  purpose.  But  as 
soon  as  he  approached  the  chief's  waggon,  he  was  turned 
back  by  the  attendants  of  Moselekatse.  The  old  attachment 
'between  the  chief  and  his  friend  was  for  a  time  entirely 
inoperative. 

"As  to  the  young  missionaries,  their  first  impressions  of 
Moselekatse  were  very  unfavourable.  They  were  disap- 
pointed at  the  manner  of  their  reception.  Instead  of 
generosity,  or  even  friendliness,  they  met  v/ith  excessive 
selfishness,  meanness,  and  duplicity.  Instead  of  their  ima- 
ginary 'noble  savage,'  they  found  a  greedy,  unreasonable, 
cunning  old  man.  But  they  had  to  content  themselves  with 
the  exercise  of  patience,  a  virtue  which  is  needed  every- 
where, but  nowhere  more  than  in  the  establishment  of  a 


180  LIFJ&  OP  ROBERT  MOFPAT,  D,D. 

new  mission  in  Soutliern  Africa.  Insulting  messages  were 
now  sent  to  them  from  the  chief.  They  were  told  that  they 
were  spies,  and  had  come  to  find  out  the  resources  of  the 
Matabele  country ;  they  must  pay  the  chief  for  his  assist- 
ance in  pulling  their  waggons  during  the  latter  part  of  their 
journey ;  one  waggon-load  of  goods  must  be  given  to  him 
at  once,  etc.  For  about  two  months  the  mission  party 
were  virtually  prisoners ;  they  were  forbidden  to  leave  the 
waggons  or  to  kill  game,  and  the  Matabele  were  commanded 
not  to  sell  them  food,  or  even  milk  for  their  coffee.  They 
asked  permission  to  purchase  cows  ;  the  chief  replied  he  had 
ivory  but  no  cows  for  sale,  and  he  wished  in  return  guns 
and  ammunition.  Determined  not  to  compromise  their 
character  at  the  very  outset,  the  missionaries  refused  to 
purchase  a  single  pound  of  ivory.  They  explained  that 
other  men  would  come  to  trade  with  him  ;  they  had  come 
to  teach  him  and  his  people." 

The  chief  reasons  for  this  disaffection  are  easily  given. 
When  Moselekatse  engaged  to  receive  the  missionaries,  he 
took  the  precaution  to  send  messengers  to  the  chief  of  the 
country  in  which  the  Kuruman  station  is  situated  to  inquire 
into  the  whole  scope,  bearing,  and  results  of  mission  work. 
He  had  heard  Moffat's  case ;  he  would  now  hear  the  chief's 
view  of  the  matter  in  whose  country  he  had  so  long  lived 
and  laboured.  The  report  sent  back  by  the  messengers  was 
not  favourable.  The  missionaries  were  blamed  for  the  com- 
plications of  the  natives  with  the  Boers  ;  the  missionaries, 
it  was  said,  had  been  the  means  of  bringing  the  Boers  into 
the  country.  The  opinion,  therefore,  was  that  if  they  were 
allowed  to  settle  and  build  among  the  Matabele,  other  white 
men  would  come  and  in  the  end  take  the  land.  Hence  the 
opposition  on  the  part  of  the  people.  The  opinion  does  not 
seem  to  have  been  shared  by  Moselekatse,  but  he  had  liis 
own  grievance.  Moffat's  visit  had  been  so  pleasant  to  him, 
and  so  profitable  also,   that  he  thought  the  residence  of 


MATABELE  AND  MAKOLOLO  MISSIOX.     181 

Moffat's  son  in  the  country  could  not  fail  to  be  of  advantage. 
He  did  not  see  that  a  mere  visitor  might  render  services 
and  bestow  favours  which  could  not  be  expected  from  a 
person  coming  to  reside  in  the  country  for  the  purpose  of 
carrying  on  regular  missionary  work.  The  king  had  one 
view  of  the  matter,  the  missionaries  another.  The  kin<j  de- 
termined  to  employ  the  missionaries  for  his  advantage.  In 
spite  of  all  that  was  said  to  explain  the  object  of  the  mission, 
he  insisted  that  they  should  begin  a  trade  in  ivory,  and 
offered  to  load  up  their  Avaggon  at  once,  so  that  one  of 
their  number  might  go  to  the  Colony  and  return  with  such 
articles  as  the  chief  desired.  The  missionaries  would  not 
comply.  It  was  this  battle  that  was  fought  out  during  the 
period  of  suspense  at  the  beginning  of  the  Matabele  mission. 
Moselekatse's  theory  of  a  missionary  must  perish,  and  he 
must  receive  him  on  the  sole  ground  of  a  teacher  of  the 
Word  of  God.  In  the  end,  and  by  a  faithful  resistance  to 
the  king's  proposals,  the  missionaries  triumphed. 

After  the  struggle  had  gone  on  for  about  two  months,  the 
chief  informed  Moffat  and  his  friends  that  if  the  situation 
pleased  them  they  could  have  the  fountain  and  valley  of 
Inyate,  to  be  occupied  and  cultivated  according  to  their  own 
ideas.  Thus  they  were  happily  extricated  from  their  diffi- 
culties, and  their  hearts  were  filled  with  gratitude  to  that 
Grod  who  had  so  far  changed  the  king's  mind  and  given 
them  acceptance  in  his  sight  as  teachers  of  His  Word.  Mr. 
Moffat,  upon  whom,  as  the  founder  of  the  mission  and  the 
leader  of  the  expedition,  a  double  responsibility  and  anxiety 
rested,  felt  his  mind  relieved  of  a  heavy  burden.  He  re- 
flected with  joy  on  the  fact  that  the  Gospel  was  extending — 
extending  through  his  agency,  and  that  the  kind  of  life  he 
had  been  living  for  years  at  Kuruman  was  to  be  reproduced 
among  the  Matabele  by  his  son. 

The  missionaries  now  requested  that  interpreters  might 
be  provided,  from  whom  they  might  learn  the  language,  and 


182  LIFE  OF  EGBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

through  wliose  help  they  might  preach  to  the  people.  The 
king  promised  to  furnish  them,  but  put  off  from  time  to 
time  the  fulfilment  of  his  j^romise.  Some  months  passed 
away  before  the  interpreters  were  produced  and  the  mis- 
sionaries were  able  to  commence  preaching.  At  first  the 
king  was  always  present  at  public  worship,  and  shewed  his 
knowledge  at  once  of  Sechuana  and  the  doctrines  of  the 
Bible,  as  Moffat  had  previously  taught  him,  by  occasionally 
interrupting  the  interpreter,  and  helping  him  to  the  right 
word.  He  did  not  hesitate,  if  he  disapproved  of  what  was 
said,  to  contradict  the  speaker  openly,  and  was  known  even 
to  exclaim,  "  That's  a  lie  ! "  As  he  found,  however,  that  his 
disapprobation  did  not  change  the  character  of  the  preaching, 
he  at  last  gave  up  attending  public  worship,  though  his  out- 
ward friendliness  to  the  missionaries  continued  the  same  as 
ever. 

After  a  year's  residence  in  the  country,  permission  was 
obtained  to  preach  in  other  towns  and  villages  as  well 
as  at  Inyate,  and  they  began  to  visit  regularly  the  three 
nearest.  By  this  time  Mr.  Thomas,  who  had  obtained  this 
liberty  for  himself  and  his  colleagues,  was  able  to  address  the 
people  in  their  own  language.  The  missionaries  continued 
steadily  and  quietly  to  pursue  their  work.  After  some 
years  Mr.  John  Moffat  was  removed  to  Kuruman,  to  assist 
and  afterwards  succeed  his  venerable  father  in  the  chars-e  of 

O 

that  station.  The  death  of  Moselekatse,  which  took  place 
in  1868,  was  felt  to  be  a  crisis  in  the  history  of  the  tribe 
and  the  mission ;  but  in  all  the  discussions  and  diflicultios 
with  reference  to  his  successor,  the  influence  and  presence 
of  the  missionaries  were  recognised  by  all  parties.  The 
despotism  of  Matabele  rule  does  not  yet  permit  any  one  in 
that  country  to  own  any  other  god  than  the  chief.  The 
late  war  in  the  Transvaal  entirely  stopped  for  a  time  all 
communication  with  the  missionaries  in  the  Matabele 
country  and    their   friends  in  this  land,  but  a  letter  not 


MxiTABELE  AND  MAKOLOLO  MISSION.     183 

long  ago  received  has  been  a  ray  of  light  shooting  out  of 
thick  darkness.  There,  whence  Mr.  Thomson  wrote  in 
1874  that  after  fourteen  years  of  lahour  there  did  not  seem 
to  be  a  single  man  or  woman  who  could  be  called  a  Christian, 
the  Rev.  W.  Sykes,  who  was  one  of  the  party  that  estab- 
lished the  mission,  finds  unmistakable  evidences  of  stirrings 
of  heart,  and  tells  of  several  who  have  come  under  the 
power  of  the  Gospel,  though  they  dare  not  openly  confess 
the  chanf^e. 

While  Moffat  had  conducted  his  band  of  missionaries  in 
safety  to  their  destination,  a  most  terrible  calamity  had 
overtaken  the  other  missionary  party,  which,  under  the 
guidance  of  Mr.  Helmore,  had  proceeded  to  the  Makololo, 
north  of  the  Zambesi  river.  It  was  in  July  1859  that  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Helmore,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Price,  set  out  from 
Kuruman  for  the  country  of  the  Makololo.  Mr.  Mackenzie 
remained  behind  with  his  wife,  who  was  ill,  intending  to 
follow  as  soon  as  she  was  better.  The  melancholy  fate  of  the 
party  will  long  be  remembered  as  one  of  the  most  sad  and 
touching  stories  of  missionary  disaster.  The  difficulties  and 
dangers  attendant  on  their  journey  to  Linyanti  were  such 
as  nothing  but  the  noblest  Christian  principle  would  have 
induced  them  to  encounter  or  enabled  them  to  surmount. 

During  the  months  Mr.  Mackenzie  remained  behind  at 
Kuruman  ho  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  Sechuana, 
giving  his  spare  time  to  the  study  of  medicine.  In  May 
1860  he  started  in  the  wake  of  Messrs.  Helmore  and  Price, 
with  supplies  which  a  native  had  failed  to  take  on,  as  he 
had  agreed  to.  When  he  reached  Shoshong,  which  is  one 
of  the  largest  Bechuana  towns,  and  where  afterwards  he 
resided  and  laboured  for  some  years,  he  met  Mr.  Moffat, 
who  was  on  his  way  to  Kuruman  from  Moselekatse's 
country.  From  him  Mr  Mackenzie  learnt  that  the  mission 
to  the  Matabele  had  been  established  at  Inyate,  and  that 
the  missionaries   were   already  preaching  through  an  in- 


184  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

terpreter.  Mr.  Moffat  was  also  the  bearer  of  a  message 
from  Moselekatse  to  Sekhome,  chief  of  the  Shoshong,  which 
he  now  delivered.  It  was  to  the  effect  that  he  might  "sleep," 
as  Moselekatse  had  now  no  intention  of  going  to  war  with 
any  one.  He  had  promised  Moffat,  in  1854,  that  he  would 
avoid  everything  like  aggressive  war,  and  now  announced 
his  intention  to  adhere  to  that  promise.  Subsequent  events 
abundantly  proved  that  there  was  little  truth  or  sincerity 
in  the  message  of  the  Zulu  despot.  During  the  stay  at 
Shoshong,  Moffat  discoursed  to  the  people  with  great 
solemnity  on  death,  judgment,  and  the  world  to  come— 
themes  seldom  present  to  the  heathen  mind. 

After  parting  with  Moffat  at  Shoshong,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Mackenzie  commenced  the  most  difficult  part  of  their 
journey,  and  travelled  through  a  country  most  monotonous 
and  uninteresting.  The  hollows  which  contain  pools  of 
water  were  dried  up,  and  along  the  river-bed  there  was  not 
a  drop  of  water.  No  living  creature  was  to  be  seen  for 
miles.  It  was  a  region  of  emptiness.  When  they  had 
gone  forward  through  the  desert,  so  as  to  get  news  of  Mr. 
Helmore's  party,  they  found  that  they  had  suffered  much 
from  want  of  water  in  passing  through  it.  At  Lotlakane 
they  came  upon  the  first  traces  of  their  predecessors.  The 
Bushmen  living  there  pointed  out  where  the  waggons  had 
stood,  and  described  the  sufferings  the  party  had  endured 
fii'om  thirst.  In  a  letter  from  which  the  following  extracts 
are  taken,  Mrs.  Helmore  gives  her  own  account  of  them  :-- 
"  The  last  stage  of  our  journey  has  been,  without  exception, 
the  most  trying  time  of  travelling  I  have  experienced  in 
Africa.  We  are  now  within  the  tropics,  and  on  a  journey 
we  are  more  exposed  than  in  a  house ;  the  heat  during  the 
day  is  intense,  102°  in  the  shade,  and  often  affects  me  with 
faintness  and  giddiness ;  but  the  early  mornings  are  still 
pleasantly  cool.  We  may  expect  rain  this  month,  and  are 
longing  for  it,  ^g  those  onl^  can  Iqng  who  have  travelled 


MATABELE  AND  MAKOLOLO  MISSION.     185 

through  a  dry  and  parched  wilderness  where  no  water  is. 
Our  poor  oxen  were  at  one  time  four,  and  another  five,  days 
without  drink.  It  was  quite  painful  to  see  how  tame  they 
were  rendered  by  thirst ;  they  crowded  round  the  waggons, 
licking  the  water  casks,  and  putting  their  noses  down  to 
the  dishes  and  basins,  and  then  looked  up  to  our  faces, 
as  if  asking  for  water.  We  suffered  very  much  ourselves 
from  thirst,  being  obliged  to  economise  the  little  we  had  in 
our  vessels,  not  knowing  when  we  should  get  more.  We 
had  guides,  but  they  either  could  not  or  would  not  give  us 
any  information. 

"  Tuesday,  the  6th  inst.,  was  one  of  the  most  trying  days  I 
ever  passed.  About  sunrise  the  poor  oxen  which  had  been 
painfully  dragging  the  heavy  waggons  through  the  deep 
sand  during  the  night,  stopping  now  and  then  to  draw 
breath,  gave  signs  of  giving  up  altogether.  We  had  not 
gone  as  many  miles  as  we  had  travelled  hours.  My  husband 
now  resolved  to  remain  behind  with  one  waggon  and  a 
sinjrle  man  while  I  and  the  children  and  the  rest  of  the 
people  went  forward  with  all  the  oxen,  thinking  that  we 
should  certainly  reach  water  by  night.  We  had  had  a  very 
scanty  supply  the  day  before ;  the  men  had  not  tasted  drink 
since  breakfast  until  late  in  the  evening.  We  divided  a 
bottlef ul  among  four  of  them.  There  now  remained  five 
bottles  of  water ;  I  gave  my  husband  three,  and  reserved 
two  for  the  children,  expecting  that  we  should  get  water 
first.  It  was  a  sorrowful  parting,  for  we  were  all  faint 
from  thirst,  and  of  course  eating  was  out  the  question  ;  v/e 
were  afraid  even  to  do  anything  lest  exercise  should  aggra- 
vate our  thirst.  After  dragging  slowly  on  for  four  hcuis, 
the  heat  obliged  us  to  stop. 

"The  poor  children  continually  asked  for  water.  I  put 
them  off  as  long  as  I  could,  and  when  they  could  be  denied 
no  longer,  doled  the  precious  fluid  out  a  spoonful  at  a  time 
to  each  of  theTii*     Poor  SeUna  ^nd  IJenry  cried   bittprly, 


186  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

Willie  bore  up  manfully,  but  his  sunken  eyes  shewed  how 
much  he  suffered.  Occasionally  I  observed  a  convulsive 
twitching  of  his  features,  shewing  what  an  effort  he  was 
making  to  restrain  his  feelings.  As  for  dear  Lizzie,  she  did 
not  utter  a  word  of  complaint,  nor  even  asked  for  water, 
but  lay  all  the  day  on  the  ground  perfectly  quiet,  her  lips 
being  parched  and  blackened.  About  sunset  v/e  made 
another  attempt,  and  got  on  about  five  miles.  The  people 
then  proposed  going  on  with  the  oxen  in  search  of  water, 
promising  to  return  with  a  supply  to  the  waggon,  but  I 
urged  their  resting  a  little  and  then  making  another  attempt, 
that  we  might  possibly  get  near  enough  to  walk  on  to  it. 
They  yielded,  tied  up  the  poor  oxen  to  prevent  their  wander- 
ing, and  lay  down  to  sleep,  having  tasted  neither  food  nor 
drink  all  day. 

''  None  of  us  could  eat.  I  gave  the  children  a  little  dried 
fruit,  slightly  acid,  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  but  thirst  took 
away  all  desire  to  eat.  Once  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon 
dear  Willie,  after  a  desperate  effort  not  to  cry,  suddenly 
asked  me  if  he  might  go  and  drain  the  bottles.  Of  course  I 
consented,  and  presently  he  called  out  to  me  with  much 
eagerness  that  he  had  found  some.  Poor  little  fellow !  it 
must  have  been  little  indeed,  for  his  sister  Selina  had 
drained  them  already.  Soon  after  he  called  out  that  he 
had  found  another  bottle  of  water.  You  can  imaijine  the 
disappointment  when  I  told  him  it  was  cocoa-nut  oil  melted 
by  the  heat.  But  this  is  a  digression ;  I  must  go  back  to 
our  outspanning  about  nine  p.m.  The  water  was  long  since 
gonc^  and  as  a  last  resource  just  before  dark  I  divided 
among  the  children  half  a  teacupful  of  wine  and  water 
wdiich  I  had  been  reserving  in  case  I  should  feel  faint. 
They  were  revived  by  it,  and  said  how  nice  it  was,  though 
it  scarcely  allayed  their  thirst.  Henry  at  length  cried 
himself  to  sleep,  and  the  rest  were  dozing  feverishly. 

"It  was  a  beautiful  moonlight  night,  but  the  air  hot  and 


MATABELE  AND  MAKOLOLO  MISSION.     187 


sultry.  I  sat  in  front  of  the  \Yaggon  unable  to  sleep, 
hoping  that  water  might  arrive  before  the  children  awoke 
on  another  day.  About  half -past  ten  I  saw  some  persons 
approaching ;  they  proved  to  be  two  Bakalahari  bringing  a 
tin  canteen  half-full  of  water,  and  a  note  from  Mrs.  Price 
saying,  that  having  heard  of  the  trouble  we  were  in  from 
the  man  whom  we  had  sent  forward,  and  being  themselves 
not  very  far  from  the  water,  they  had  sent  us  all  they  had. 
The  sound  of  water  soon  roused  the  children,  who  had  tried 
in  vain  to  sleep,  and  I  shall  not  soon  forget  the  rush  they 
made  to  get  a  drink.  There  was  not  much,  but  enough  for 
the  present.  I  gave  each  of  the  children  and  men  a  cupful, 
and  then  drank  myself.  It  was  the  first  liquid  that  had 
entered  my  lips  for  twenty-four  hours,  and  I  had  eaten 
nothing.  The  Bakalahari  passed  on  after  depositing  the 
precious  treasure,  saying  that  though  they  had  brought  me 
water  they  had  none  for  themselves.  They  were  merely 
passing  travellers ;  I  almost  thought  they  were  angels  sent 
from  heaven.  All  now  slept  comfortably  except  myself: 
my  mind  had  been  too  much  excited  for  sleep.  And  now  a 
fresh  disturbance  arose — the  poor  oxen  had  smelt  the  water, 
and  became  very  troublesome,  the  loose  cattle  crowding 
about  the  waggon,  licking  and  snufBng  and  pushing  their 
noses  towards  me,  as  if  begging  for  water. 

"  At  two  o'clock  I  roused  the  men,  telling  them  that  if  we 
Vera  to  make  another  attempt  to  reach  water  no  time  was 
to  be  lost.  They  were  tired  and  faint,  and  very  unwilling 
to  move,  but  at  last  they  got  up  and  began  to  unloose  the 
oxen  and  drive  them  off  without  the  waggon.  I  remon- 
strated, but  in  vain  ;  they  had  lost  all  spirit, — '  Lipelu  li 
shule,'  as  the  Bechuanas  say.  I  was  obliged  to  let  them  go, 
but  they  assured  me  I  should  have  water  sent  on  as  quickly 
as  possible,  and  the  cattle  should  be  brought  back  again 
after  they  had  drank.  They  knew  no  more  than  I  did  the 
distance  to  the  water. 


188  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

"  When  tliey  left  us  I  felt  anxious  at  the  thought  of 
perhaps  spending  another  clay  like  the  past,  but  they  had 
not  been  gone  more  than  half-an-hour  when  I  saw  in  the 
bright  moonlight  a  figure  at  a  distance  coming  along  the 
road.  At  first  I  could  not  make  it  out,  it  looked  so  tall, 
but  on  coming  nearer  who  should  it  prove  to  be  but  my 
servant-girl  Kionecoe,  eighteen  years  of  age,  carrying  on  her 
head  an  immense  calabash  of  water !  On  hearini:^  of  our 
distress  she  volunteered  to  assist  us-  She  had  walked  four 
hours.  Another  servant  had  set  out  with  her,  but  as  he 
had  driven  the  sheep  the  day  before  a  great  distance  with- 
out either  food  or  water,  he  became  so  exhausted  that  he 
lay  down  under  a  bush  to  rest,  and  on  the  girl  came  alone, 
in  the  dead  of  night,  in  a  strange  country  infested  with 
lions,  bearing  her  precious  burden.  Oh,  how  grateful  I  felt 
to  her !  Surely  ivoman  is  the  same  all  the  world  over  ! 
She  had  only  lived  with  me  since  June,  was  but  an  in- 
different servant,  and  had  never  shewn  any  particular 
attachment  to  the  children,  but  this  kind  act  revealed  her 
heart,  and  seemed  to  draw  us  more  closely  together,  for  her 
conduct  since  then  has  been  excellent.  I  made  a  bed  for 
her  beside  me  in  the  forepart  of  the  waggon,  and  the 
children  having  slaked  their  thirst  with  the  deliciously  cool 
water,  we  all  slept  till  six  o'clock.  I  made  coffee,  and 
offered  some  to  Kionecoe  and  her  companion,  who  had  now 
come  up.  At  first  they  declined  it,  saying  the  water  was 
for  me  and  the  children. 

"  I  had  now  the  happiness  of  seeing  the  children  enjoy  a 
meal  of  tea  and  biscuits ;  and  then  once  more  filling  up  my 
two  bottles,  I  sent  the  calabash  with  the  remainder  of  its 
contents  to  my  husband,  who  by  this  time  stood  greatly  in 
need  of  it.  The  distance  was  about  twelve  miles.  I  afterwards 
found  that  we  were  about  the  same  from  the  water.  About 
noon  a  horseman  rode  up,  leading  a  second  horse  with  two 
water  casksj  and  a  tiu  gjinteen  ojj  his  bacl$.    This  was  a  supply 


MATADeLE  and  MAROlOLO  mission.    189 


for  your  brother,  sent  by  our  kind  fellow-travellers,  Captain 
and  Mrs.  Thompson,  who  had  heard  of  our  distresses  from 
the  Prices.  While  we  were  preparing  the  coffee,  up  came  a 
pack-ox  sent  by  Mr.  Price,  with  two  water-casks  for  me,  and 
soon  after  some  Bakalahari  arrived  with  a  calabash,  so  we 
had  now  an  abundant  supply,  and  my  heart  overflowed  with 
gratitude  to  our  Father  in  heaven,  who  had  watched  over 
me  and  mine  as  over  Hagar  of.  old,  and  sent  us  relief." 

For  more  than  a  week  every  drop  of  water  they  used  had 
to  be  walked  for  about  thirty-five  miles.  One  afternoon, 
when  the  thermometer  was  standing  at  107°  in  the  shade, 
Mrs.  Helmore  was  saving  just  one  spoonful  of  water  for  each 
of  the  dear  children  the  next  morning.  Mr,  Helmore  was 
away  searching  for  water ;  and  when  he  returned  next 
morning  with  the  precious  fluid,  it  was  found  that  he  had 
walked  fully  forty  miles. 

At  length,  after  enduring  innumerable  difficulties  and 
privations  for  seven  months,  they  reached  Linyanti,  the 
residence  of  the  Makololo  chief,  Sekeletu.  Here  Living- 
stone was  to  have  met  them  and  introduce  them  to  the 
chief,  but  nothing  had  been  seen  or  heard  of  him.  The 
place  was  unhealthy  ;  but  Sekeletu  refused  to  allow  them 
to  remove  elsewhere,  or  even  to  point  out  a  healthy  place 
where  they  could  settle  down  and  wait  Livingstone's 
^arrival,  and  proposed  that  they  should  live  with  him.  Of 
necessity  they  accepted  the  proposition,  and  forthwith 
began  to  build  temporary  houses.  Bitter  sorrows  now  filled 
their  cup.  There  in  Linyanti,  among  the  dank  weeds  and 
oozy  mud  of  the  river's  banks,  and  the  thick  overgrown 
swamps  around,  the  enemy  was  lurking.  The  pestilence 
that  walketh  in  darkness  was  upon  them  before  they  knew 
of  its  approach.  They  were  overcome  by  it  before  they  were 
aware.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Helmore,  the  four  little  children, 
and  all  the  servants,  were  in  a  few  days  lying  on  their  beds 
unable  to  rise,  delirious  and  restless,  or  quite  unconscious. 


190  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Price  also  were  very  ill  and  their  infant 
babe. 

The  first  to  die  was  little  Henry  Helmore  ;  two  days 
after  the  infant  child  of  Mr.  Price  was  laid  by  his  side. 
Four  days  from  that  Selina  Helmore  was  cut  off,  and  on 
the  following  day  Mrs.  Helmore  fell  asleep  in  Jesus. 
Within  six  weeks  of  his  wife's  death  Mr.  Helmore  also 
breathed  his  last,  and  the  lonely  mission  was  deprived  of 
its  veteran  leader.  It  was  a  forlorn  little  company  that 
Mr.  Helmore  left  behind.  There  were  his  two  orphan 
children,  Mrs,  Price,  who  in  consequence  of  her  illness  had 
lost  the  use  of  her  feet,  and  Mr  Price,  weak  and  ill  and 
overpowered  with  grief.  Prom  this  scene  of  pestilence  and 
death  the  solitary  missionary  and  his  devoted  wife  prepared 
to  depart,  as  the  only  means  of  saving  their  own  lives  and 
the  lives  of  the  little  orphans  entrusted  to  their  care. 

Up  to  that  time  the  Makololo  had  not  much  interfered 
with  them,  though  they  did  not  seem  to  care  whether  the 
missionaries  lived  or  died.  But  now  they  saw  Mr.  Price 
preparing  to  depart,  they  began  to  steal  their  property ; 
even  the  clothes  Mr.  Price  had  been  wearing  during  the 
day  were  stolen  at  night  from  the  foot  of  the  bed.  When 
he  was  on  the  point  of  starting,  Sekeletu  came,  and  without 
any  ceremony  took  possession  of  Mr.  Helmore's  new  waggon, 
and  a  quantity  of  other  goods,  with  all  the  guns  and  ammu- 
nition ;  and  finally  a  messenger  came  from  the  chief  making 
yet  more  extravagant  demands  before  he  would  allow  the 
missionary  to  leave.  Mr.  Price  told  him  that  if  he  did  not 
let  him  go  soon  they  would  have  to  Iniry  him  beside  the 
others,  to  which  they  simply  replied  that  he  might  as  well 
die  there  as  anywhere  else. 

At  length,  after  much  entreaty,  a  few  things  were  allowed 
for  the  journey.  "  Already."  writes  Mr.  Price,  "  they  had 
taken  all  my  bed-clothing,  with  the  exception  of  what  was 
just  sufficient  for  one  bed.     But  before  my  oxen  could  cross 


MATABELE  AND  MAKOLOLO  MISSION.     191 

the  Chobe  I  had  to  deliver  up  one  blanket.  Every  grain  of 
corn  which  I  had  for  food  for  the  men  they  had  taken,  and 
I  did  not  get  even  a  goat  for  slaughter  on  the  road.  These 
were  my  prospects  for  a  journey  of  upwards  of  a  thousand 
miles  to  Kuruman." 

The  missionary's  cup  of  affliction  was  not  yet  full.  Just 
as  he  and  his  wife  were  beoinninoj  to  breathe  asjain  after 
their  heavy  trials,  and  to  look  forward  to  further  service  for 
Christ,  the  message  came  to  call  the  brave  woman  to  her 
rest  and  reward.  "My  dear  wife,"  writes  her  sorrowing 
husband,  "  had  been  for  a  long  time  utterly  helpless,  but  we 
all  thought  she  was  getting  better.  In  the  morning  early  I 
found  her  breathing  very  hard.  She  went  to  sleep  that 
night,  alas  !  to  wake  no  more.  I  spoke  to  her  and  tried  to 
wake  her,  but  it  was  too  late.  I  watched  her  all  the 
morning.  She  became  worse  and  worse,  and  a  little  after 
mid-day  her  spirit  took  its  flight  to  God  who  gave  it.  I 
buried  her  the  same  evening  under  a  tree — the  only  tree  on 
the  immense  plain  of  the  Mahabe.  This  is  indeed  a  heavy 
stroke,  but  God  is  my  refuge  and  strength,  a  very  present 
help  in  trouble.' " 

Mr.  Mackenzie  met  Mr.  Price  as  he  was  leaving  Linyanti, 
and  having  heard  the  sad  story  of  all  his  sufferings  and 
trials,  resolved  to  return  with  him.  At  Sboshong,  which 
they  reached  on  the  1st  of  December  1860,  and  where  they 
remained  two  months,  they  were  agreeably  surprised  to 
meet  their  veteran  friend  Moffat,  who  was  on  his  way  to 
search  for  them  and  bring  them  relief.  The  news  of  the 
calamity  at  Linyanti  had  reached  Kuruman  through  a  native 
hunter  who  had  visited  the  Victoria  Falls.  Mr.  Moffat 
had  communicated  the  sad  intelligence  to  friends  in  Cape 
Town,  where  a  public  subscription  was  set  on  foot  to  send 
relief  to  the  surviving  members  of  a  mission,  all  the  mem- 
bers of  which  had  but  a  short  time  before  left  that  town 
in  good  health  and  spirits.     Moffat,  whose  Kuruman  home 


I9i2  LtP]^  OP  ROBERT  MOPFAf,  D3. 


since  1855  was,  to  use  his  own  words,  "more  like  the 
lodge  of  a  wayfaring  man  than  a  permanent  abode,"  had 
cheerfully  volunteered  to  act  as  agent  for  those  kind  friends 
at  the  Cape ;  and  he  was,  in  a  peculiar  sense,  now  the 
"messenger  of  the  churches"  to  their  sufferina:  brethren. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mackenzie  and  Mr.  Price,  with  the  two 
orphan  children  of  Mr.  Helmore,  reached  Kuruman  in 
February.  The  calamity  that  overtook  the  mission  at  Lin- 
yanti  resulted  from  the  fact  that  Mr.  Helmore  the  leader  and 
the  party  entrusted  to  his  care,  instead  of  being  allowed  to 
remove  to  a  salubrious  locality,  were  compelled  to  remain 
amidst  swamps  teeming  with  pestilence  and  death.  Soon 
after  this  the  Makololo  tribe  were  utterly  destroyed  ;  and  in 
Bechuana  Land,  and  especially  among  the  heathen  com- 
munity in  the  northern  part,  the  feeling  is  very  general 
that  their  destruction  so  soon  after  their  inhospitable  and 
perfidious  conduct  towards  the  missionaries  is  to  be  traced 
to  the  justice  and  righteous  judgment  of  God.  Even  some 
of  the  Christians  say  when  any  one  counsels  injury  to  the 
missionaries, — "  Let  the  missionary  alone ;  the  Makololo 
iiijared  the  missionaries,  and  where  are  the  Makololo?" 


CliAPTEH  XXITI. 


CHANGES     AT     KURUMAN. 


OFF  AT  remained  for  some  months  with  the  missionary 
party  at  Inyate  ;  indeed  it  was  absolutely  necessary 
that  he  should.  Had  it  not  been  for  his  influence 
over  Moselekatse  and  his  wonderful  tact  and  man- 
agement, the  probability  is  that  the  expedition  would  have 
failed  of  its  object  and  the  mission  not  have  been  established 
at  all.  He  continued  therefore  for  a  time  assisting  in  the 
necessary  negotiations  with  the  king  and  preaching  to  the 
people.  The  king  wished  him  to  remain  altogether,  but 
that  was  out  of  the  question  :  his  family,  his  work,  his 
companions  in  labour,  his  converts — all  were  waiting  and 
longing  for  his  return.  When  the  king  found  he  could  not 
prevail  on  his  friend  to  stay  with  him,  he  begged  him  at 
least  to  accept  a  handsome  present  of  ivory ;  this  Moffat 
resolutely  refused,  as  he  had  on  all  former  occasions. 

Having  returned  in  safety  to  Kuruman,  the  missionary 
resumed  his  home  work.  Henceforth  Kuruman  was  with 
him  chiefly  a  centre  for  many  and  varied  journeys  to  points 
of  usefulness  and  interest.  The  station  was  kept  in  peace, 
notwithstanding  the  disturbances  produced  in  other  places 

by  the  threats  and  actual  molestations  of  the  Boers.     In  all 

13 


194  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

his  dealings  with  the  Boers  Moffat's  conduct  was  marked  by 
the  utmost  prudence  ; — he  was  conciliatory,  yet  firm.  He 
took  care  never  to  endanger  the  interests  of  the  natives,  and 
yet  he  acted  justly  towards  their  enemies.  There  were 
times  when  he  felt  called  upon  to  maintain  his  freedom  of 
action  and  his  just  rights.  In  1859  he  received  a  letter, 
signed  by  two  officers  of  the  Government  of  the  Transvaal 
Kepublic,  warning  him  not  to  proceed  to  the  establishment 
of  missions  in  the  interior  until  he  had  received  the  sanction 
of  the  President  of  the  Republic.  As  both  the  Matabele 
and  the  Makololo  countries  were  far  beyond  the  territories 
of  the  Transvaal,  and  the  road  thither  did  not  lead  through 
any  part  of  the  Republic,  he  regarded  this  as  an  unreasonable 
demand  with  which  he  could  not  comjDly. 

Mr.  Moffat's  station  was  not  exempt  from  the  visitations 
of  drought ;  the  consequence  was  that  many  of  the  people 
had  to  go  for  a  livelihood  to  the  hunting-grounds,  and  others 
had  to  betake  themselves  to  the  adjoining  settlements  in 
search  of  remunerative  employment.  These  were  seasons 
of  anxiety  both  to  missionary  and  people.  There  w'ere 
times,  however,  when  their  hearts  were  made  glad  by  wit- 
nessing success  in  all  departments  of  church  life  and  work ; 
especially  was  this  the  case  when  Moffat's  own  two  daughters 
gave  themselves  first  of  all  to  the  Lord  and  then  to  His 
people.  The  year  1862  was  a  year  of  severe  and  unusual 
tpal,  for  in  addition  to  drought  and  its  dreadful  effects 
there  Avas  the  prevalence  of  infectious  disease.  Measles 
and  smallpox  broke  out  and  spread  among  the  people  at 
Kuruman  and  in  the  districts  around,  but  they  must  all 
have  felt  the  value  of  medical  resources,  and  of  the  benefit 
of  civilised  habits,  when  they  saw  how  much  less  severe  and 
less  fatal  these  diseases  were  amono^  the  converts  at  the 
mission  station  than  among  their  less  favoured  neighbours. 
The  next  year  the  drought  continued,  and  was  aggravated 
by   an   intense  heat.      There   was  a  famine   in   the  land. 


CHANGES  AT  KURUMAN,  195 

Wholesome  food  became  so  scarce  that  the  starving  popula- 
tion were  compelled  to  wander  through  the  wilderness  in 
quest  of  supplies,  and  were  glad  to  devour  whatever  they 
could  find  growing  there ;  as  the  result,  many  fell  sick,  and 
some  died.  Just  as  this  plague  of  famine  was  at  its  worst, 
God  graciously  sent  a  plentiful  and  continuous  rain,  and 
turned  the  distress  of  the  people  into  general  rejoicing. 

The  year  1863  saw  great  domestic  sorrow  in  Moffat's 
household.  News  came  of  the^  death  of  Mrs.  Livingstone, 
their  eldest  daughter.  She  had  joined  her  husband,  who  was 
at  the  time  at  Shupanga.  During  the  unhealthy  season 
several  of  his  party  suffered  from  fever,  and  about  the  middle 
of  April  1862  Mrs.  Livingstone  was  prostrated  by  that 
disease,  and  notwithstanding  that  she  received  every  atten- 
tion which  affection  and  skill  could  render,  she  died  on  the 
27tli  of  that  month,  and  was  buried  on  the  following  day 
under  the  shadow  of  a  giant  baobab-tree — the  Rev.  James 
Stewart,  who  had  shortly  before  come  out  to  inquire  into  the 
practicability  of  establishing  a  mission  in  connection  with  the 
Free  Church  of  Scotland,  reading  the  burial  service.  Shortly 
after  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moffat  were  called  to  mourn  the  death 
of  Mr.  Robert  Moffat,  junior,  their  eldest  son,  who  left 
behind  him  a  widow  and  four  children.  About  this  time,  too, 
the  venerable  missionary  sustained  a  serious  loss  in  his  work 
by  the  removal  of  Mr.  Ashton,  his  colleague,  to  Lekatlong. 
*Mr.  Ashton  had  been  of  great  service  to  him  for  many  years, 
being  a  man  able  and  willing  to  turn  his  hand  to  anything, 
from  binding  a  book  to  correcting  the  sheets  of  which  it  was 
composed ;  he  had  also  rendered  him  invaluable  help  in  the 
important  work  of  translating  the  Scriptures  into  the  Sech- 
uana  language.  To  complete  the  list  of  trials,  death  removed 
some  of  the  most  honourable  converts  ;  the  mitigation  of  this 
trial  being  that  those  who  died,  died  rejoicing  in  the  Lord. 

It  was  Moffat's  happiness  in  1866  to  receive  his  son  John 
as  a  substitute  in  the  place  of  Mr.  Ashton.    Mr.  John  Moffat, 


196  LIFE  OF  ROnEUT  MOEFAT,  D.D. 

Lcsides  helping  his  father  in  the  printing-office,  gave  to  a 
class  of  young  natives  instruction  in  the  English  language. 
He  also  took  part  in  preaching,  and  he  tells  how  his  father, 
though  then  seventy  years  of  age,  shared  with  him  the  labour 
of  riding  to  distant  villages  to  preach  and  hold  prayer-meet- 
ings. On  the  whole,  however,  the  year  was  one  of  discour- 
agement. Bodily  sickness  was  prevalent  among  the  people, 
with  mental  and  spiritual  deadness.  The  congregations  at 
public  worship  were  as  large  as  ever,  but  there  were  few 
applications  for  church  fellowship,  readers  were  inattentive, 
knowledge  was  in  a  backward  state,  and  the  servants  of  the 
Lord  felt  constrained  to  ask, — "Who  hath  believed  our 
report,  and  to  whom  hath  the  arm  of  the  Lord  been  revealed? " 
Nevertheless,  Moffat  bore  in  mind  the  injunction  to  sow  his 
seed  in  the  morning,  and  not  to  withhold  his  hand  in  the 
evening,  and  wait  for  the  harvest. 

1\\  October  1868  Mr.  John  Moffat  thus  described  to  the 
Directors  of  the  London  Missionary  Society  the  regular 
mission  work  at  Kuruman,  and  the  general  condition  of 
things  there  : — "  The  public  services  are  a  prayer-meeting 
at  sunrise  on  Sunday  ;  preaching  in  Sechuana,  morning, 
afternoon,  and  evening;  with  the  Sunday  school  twice,  and 
a  juvenile  afternoon  service.  The  early  prayer-meeting  is 
left  entirely  to  the  natives,  the  three  preaching  services  to 
the  missionaries,  and  the  Sunday  school,  with  the  juvenile 
service,  to  my  sister.  There  are  also  a  Wednesday  evening 
service,  a  monthly  missionary  prayer-meeting,  a  church- 
meeting,  and  a  prayer-meeting  on  Thursday  afternoon. 
This  last  is  in  the  hands  of  the  natives.  No  native  takes 
any  part  in  the  preaching  on  the  station,  except  in  extreme 
cases,  when  it  is  regarded  as  a  make-shift.  My  father  and 
I  share  the  preaching  between  us.  Occasionally  one  of  us 
rides  to  two  villages  to  the  north-west,  holding  service  at 
each.  My  custom  at  home  is  to  give  New  Testament 
reading  in  the  morning,  a  topical  sermon  in  the  afternoon, 


CHANGES  AT  KURUMAX.  197 

and  Old  Testament  exposition  in  the  evening.  On  Monday 
evening  I  have  a  young  men's  Bible-class,  to  me  the  most 
interesting  work,  especially  as  I  have  much  encouragement 
in  it.  There  is  a  marked  advance  on  the  part  of  my  pupils. 
For  a  people  so  stolid  and  undemonstrative  as  the  Bechu- 
anas,  I  have  great  encouragement,  and  hope  my  work  will 
not  be  in  vain.  On  the  Monday  evening,  also,  my  sister  and 
I  hold  a  practising  class  to  improve  the  singing.  On 
Tuesday  evening  1  meet  male  inquirers ;  on  Wednesday, 
before  the  service,  I  have  a  Bible-class  for  women ;  on 
Thursday  we  have  our  English  prayer-meeting;  and  on 
Friday  evening  I  meet  female  inquirers.  I  need  but 
mention  the  school  conducted  by  my  sister  with  three  native 
assistants." 

He  then  speaks  of  the  out-stations,  the  printing-office, 
and  other  work : — "  There  is  a  circuit  of  out-stations  west- 
ward. My  father  paid  them  a  visit  in  December  1865, 
again  in  February  1867,  and  I  have  just  returned  from 
them.  The  printing-office  has  occupied  a  large  part  of  my 
time — three  days  in  every  week  on  an  average.  There  is  also 
an  incessant  dispensing  of  medicines,  to  me  most  unwelcome, 
for  I  have  only  learned  to  know  how  little  value  there  is  in 
the  medical  practice  of  any  but  well  qualified  men.  It  is 
forced  upon  me  by  usage,  like  many  other  things,  and  by  the 
persistent  desire  of  human  nature,  black  as  well  as  white, 
to  be  doing  '  something  '  for  disease,  even  though  it  be  a 
mere  leap  in  the  dark.  I  have  rarely  been  able  to  hold  an 
English  service,  though  very  desirous  to  do  so.  The 
benighted  Europeans  are  every  year  becoming  more 
numerous  in  this  neighbourhood,  and  do  not  help  on  our 
work,  though  they  are  not  unwilling  to  attend  an  occasional 
service,  which  I  do  not  despair  of  setting  on  foot." 

With  regard  to  the  number  and  social  condition  of  the 
people,  he  remarks  : — "  The  population  is  small  and  scattered 
fis  compared  vyith  other  parts  of  tlie  Bechuana  Held.     On 


198  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D,D. 

the  spot  there  must  be  a  good  many  people,  and  also  at  two 
villages  north-west ;  otherwise  the  district  contains  only 
villages  of  from  twenty  to  a  hundred  huts.  It  extends  fifty 
miles  west  and  north-west,  and  twenty-five  in  other 
directions.  A  Christian  village,  one  hundred  and  seventy 
miles  north-east,  has  placed  itself  under  our  charge.  The 
people  are  poor,  and  must  remain  so.  The  country  is 
essentially  dry.  Irrigation  is  necessary  for  successful 
agriculture,  and  there  are  few  spots  where  water  flows. 
There  is  no  market  for  cattle,  even  if  they  throve,  which 
they  do  not.  I  despair  of  much  advance  in  civilisation 
where  resources  are  so  small,  and  where  the  European 
trade  is  on  the  principle  of  enormous  profits  and  losses. 
Two  hundred  per  cent,  on  Port  Elizabeth  prices  is  not 
considered  out  of  the  way.  I  am  obliged  to  send  to 
England  or  the  coast  for  clothing ;  what  is  obtained  here  is 
worthless  and  dear.  I  have  not  yet  seen  any  staple  industry 
for  our  Bechuanas.  The  ostrich  feather  trade,  like  all 
hunting,  retards  civilisation.  The  political  framework  is 
disintegrating.  I  am  not  disposed  to  take  alarm  at  the 
encroachments  of  the  Dutch  Republics  —  Transvaal  and 
Orange  Free  State.  The  country  is  too  poor  to  be  coveted 
by  Europeans_,  and  the  Bechuanas  may  perhaps  be  allowed 
to  exist.  This  station  is  the  one  spot  to  tempt  the  Boers. 
If  anything  could  be  done  to  secure  it  by  convention  with 
the  British  Government  the  whole  district  would  then  bo 

,       left  unmolested,   for  without  the  spring  and  the  gardens 

\  here  there  is  nothing." 
\  His  observations  on  the  religious  condition  of  the  natives 
are  such  as  to  inspire  confidence  in  his  good  sense  and  im- 
partial judgment,  and  impress  us  with  a  full  belief  in  the 
trustworthiness  of  the  testimony.  "  Heathenism,"  he  says, 
"  is  weak  ;  in  many  places  nowhere.  Christianity,  too,  meets 
with  little  opposition.  The  people  generally  are  prodigious 
Bible-readers,  church-goers,  and  psalm-singers — I  fear  to  a 


CHANGES  AT  KURUMAF.  199 

large  extent  without  knowledge.  Religion  to  them  consists 
in  the  above  operations  and  in  giving  a  sum  to  the  auxiliary. 
I  speak  of  the  generality.  Many  I  cannot  but  feel  to  be 
Christians  but  dimly.  This  can  hardly  be  the  result  of  low 
mental  power  alone.  The  Bechuanas  shew  considerable 
acuteness  where  circumstances  call  it  out.  The  educational 
department  of  the  mission  has  been  kept  in  the  background. 
On  this  station  the  youth  on  leading  school  have  sunk  back 
for  want  of  a  continued  course  open  to  them.  The  village 
schoolmasters,  uneducated  themselves  and  mostly  unpaid, 
make  but  a  feeble  impression.  The  wonder  is  they  do  so 
much,  and  where  the  readers  come  from.  It  is  hard  to  say 
that  the  older  missionaries  could  have  done  otherwise. 
When  manual  labour  and  menial  duties  v^^^re  accepted  as  a 
share  of  a  missionary's  normal  occupations,  it  is  not  wonder- 
ful that  he  failed  to  advance  his  native  pupils  to  a  high 
standard  of  attainments." 

This  subject  of  education  was  one  that  was  forced  upon 
the  attention  of  the  missionaries  and  engaged  their  most 
anxious  thoughts.  The  want  of  native  schoolmasters  and 
teachers  was  deeply  felt,  but  the  question  was  how  they 
were  to  be  obtained.  The  directors  at  home  shared  with 
their  brethren  abroad  in  these  anxieties.  The  brother  mis- 
sionaries were  about  to  meet  in  conference  at  the  Kuruman 
to  discuss  this  matter  and  several  other  matters  of  import- 
ance affecting  the  interests  of  the  mission,  and  Moffat  wrote 
to  the  directors  expressing  his  views  on  various  new  measures 
for  the  better  instruction  of  the  people.  "Apart,"  he  says, 
"  from  your  valuable  suggestions,  it  was  resolved  by  my  son 
John  and  myself  to  bring  the  subject  of  a  school  for  superior 
training  prominently  before  the  brethren.  The  want  is 
increasingly  felt.  But  there  was  no  help  for  it,  for  here  or 
elsewhere  suitable  pupils,  or  pupils  of  any  kind,  were  not  to 
be  had.  Public  feeling  is  very  difierent  now.  We  have  had 
to  jog  on  with  the  material  available,  and  notwithstanding 


200  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

the  lack  of  theological  acquirements,  have  not  been  dis- 
appointed ;  but  it  is  time  a  new  order  of  things  ^vere 
introduced  by  having  a  place  with  means  afforded,  and  a 
period  allowed  for  educating  those  now  anxious  to  advance 
in  that  kind  of  knowledge  which  will  make  them  useful 
members  of  society.  The  kind  and  reasonable  proposals 
made  by  the  board  to  supply  the  wants  felt,  as  well  as  a 
medical  missionary,  if  deemed  necessary,  will  gratify  the 
brethren."  The  promised  supplies  had  reference  to  the 
support  of  European  teachers.  So  successful  was  this  effort 
at  one  station  that  in  little  more  than  two  years  Moffat 
received  the  sum  of  fifty  pounds  for  books  which  had  been 
sold  to  the  natives. 

We  get  a  glimpse  at  this  time  of  the  moral  influence 
which  Moffat's  name  still  exerted  over  the  distant  tribes. 
Eight  years  had  elapsed  since  he  sought  and  secured  for  his 
brethren  an  introduction  to  Moselekatse.  Now  this  chief, 
who  had  ruled  the  Matabele  tribe  as  with  a  rod  of  iron,  was 
himself  conquered  by  the  King  of  Terrors.  "  He  died,"  wrote 
Mr.  W.  Sykes  to  the  directors,  "on  Sabbath  afternoon,  the 
6th  of  September  last,  at  a  village  about  fifty  miles  south 
from  Inyate,  called  Ingama.  For  months  he  had  been  in  a 
lingering  state,  yet  sometimes  it  was  hoped  he  would  rally 
for  another  season.  My  last  visit  to  him  was  in  June — a 
sad  and  painful  one.  I  shall  never  forget  how  he  looked  at 
me,  and  how  affectionately  he  said,  with  a  feeble,  stammering 
voice,  'I  am  very  ill,'  I  endeavoured  to  comfort  him,  but 
the  only  words  that  seemed  to  create  any  interest  in  his 
mind  were  those  of  a  message  from  Moffat,  saying  that  he 
was  still  praying  for  him  and  his  people.  The  moment  I 
uttered  the  name  his  countenance  beamed,  but  he  said 
nothing.  I  told  him  intelligence  had  come  that  the  son  of 
Moffat  had  been  appointed  to  remain  at  Kuruman  to  com- 
fort his  father  in  his  old  age,  and  with  a  mien  indicating 
inward  disappointment  and  yet  approval  he  signified   his 


CHANGES  AT  KURU2IAX.  201 


assent  by  a  gentle  nod."  When  Mr.  Sykes  was  leaving  the 
camp  a  voice  was  raised  above  the  rest — "Remember  me  to 
the  son  of  Moffat ! "  and,  as  if  by  an  echo,  the  whole  camp 
repeated  the  request,  while  individual  voices,  still  following 
him,  cried  out — "  All  of  us  !  all  of  us  !  "  In  this  we  have  a 
prediction  of  the  way  in  which  the  names  of  Africa's  two 
great  benefactors,  Moffat  and  Livingstone,  will  be  held  on 
that  continent  in  everlasting  remembrance. 

Kuruman  is  now  the  seat  of  a  Theological  Institution  for 
the  training  of  African  young  men  for  a  native  ministry, 
and  is  under  the  care  of  the  Revs.  J.  Mackenzie  and 
J.  Brown.  It  has  long  been  as  a  green  oasis  in  the  desert, 
its  fountain  furnishing  unfailing  supplies  for  a  large  popu- 
lation, and  its  missionary  agencies  making  it  a  great  centre 
of  life  and  light.  With  the  large  educational  establishment 
now  provided  there  we  may  confidently  hope  that  it  will 
exert  a  still  greater  power  in  the  progress  of  the  country  as 
years  go  on.  Mr.  Mackenzie  recently  writes  from  there 
thus  : — "  I  am  very  much  gratified  in  being  able  to  report 
that  an  earnest  and  anxious  spirit  has  lately  prevailed 
among  the  people  here,  and  native  teachers  visiting  Kuru- 
man have  lately  brought  inquirers  with  them,  or  announce 
that  they  have  such  at  their  homes.  Some  time  ago  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  receiving  into  church-fellowship  a  few  of  the 
young  people  belonging  to  Kuruman  and  Macoping,  and 
last  Sunday  I  received  the  wives  of  two  of  the  students  in 
the  Institution  and  one  of  the  senior  boys  in  Mr.  Brown's 
school,  whose  earnestness  and  consistency  have  been  tested 
for  a  long  time.  In  my  present  class  of  inquirers  there  are 
several  boys  from  the  boarding-school.  Speaking  of  the 
church  members,  I  hope  I  am  not  mistaken  when  I  report 
that  greater  prayerfulness  and  spirituality  of  mind  obtain 
among  them."  He  writes  again  : — "I  am  writing  after  the 
breaking-up  of  our  New  Year's  gathering  for  special  prayer 
—the  largest  I  am  told  which  has  assembled  at  Kurumau 


202  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

for  many  years.  People  were  present  from  more  than  one 
village  on  the  distant  Molopo  River,  as  well  as  from  the 
borders  of  the  Kalahari  Desert,  Morokweng,  Konke,  etc.  ; 
and  they  not  only  came  in  large  numbers,  but  few  left  until 
the  week's  meetings  were  over  and  the  services  of  the  secon 
Sunday  had  also  been  enjoyed.  I  believe  the  people  were 
cheered  and  strengthened  by  the  succession  of  spiritual 
engagements,  and  have  gone  to  their  various  homes  thank- 
ing God  for  the  past  and  resolving  to  trust  to  Him  for  the 
future.  For  my  own  part,  I  have  been  much  encouraged 
by  the  spirit  shewn  by  the  people,  as  well  as  by  the  numbers 
who  felt  called  to  join  in  these  special  services." 


CHAPTER  XXiy. 


RETIREMENT  FROM  THE  MISSION  FIELD. 


HE  period  was  now  near  at  hand  when  it  seemed 
desirable  that  this  distinguished  servant  of  God 
should  retire  from  the  scene  of  his  long  and  arduous 
labours,  to  enjoy  for  the  remainder  of  his  life  on 
earth  needed  and  w^ell-earned  repose.  In  a  letter  dated 
Kuruman,  9th  July  1869,  he  informs  a  friend  in  England 
that  it  is  more  than  probable  he  shall  retire  from  the 
mission-field,  and  return  home  the  following  year;  and  he 
goes  on  to  say  : — "  My  age  is  over  seventy -four  years,  fifty- 
two  of  which  have  been  spent  in  mission  work.  It  is 
natural  that  I  should  give  place  to  youth  and  energy.  I 
feel  most  sensibly  that  I  am  getting  old.  My  dear  brother, 
what  an  animated  prospect  we  have  in  view  !  Our  Saviour 
resigns ;  the  Lamb  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne.  "What  a 
stimulus  to  zeal  in  all  that  has  a  reference  to  our  Redeemer 
in  this  world,  that  we  may  meet  there  not  only  those  to 
whom  we  have  been  indebted  in  this  world,  but  those  also  to 
whom  God  in  His  great  mercy  has  made  us  the  means  of 
their  advancement  to  the  many  mansions." 

With  the  beginning  of  the  year  1870  Moffat  closed  his 
life's  labours  on  tlie  African  continent.     The  fact  that  his 


204  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


own  health  and  that  of  his  beloved  wife  was  beginning  to 
fail,  together  with  the  affectionate  solicitations  of  the  direc- 
tors of  the  society  whose  devoted  agent  he  had  been  for 
upwards  of  half  a  century,  induced  him  to  accept  the  invita- 
tion pressed  upon  him  to  return  to  England.  We  can  well 
imagine  the  difficulties  which  attended  his  departure.  It 
must  have  cost  him  no  common  effort  and  pain  to  tear  him- 
self away  from  the  scene  of  so  many  years  of  unwearied  and 
anxious  toil,  and  the  people  who  htid  long  since  learned  to 
regard  him  with  reverence  and  affection.  He  had,  however, 
the  gratification  of  witnessing  the  fruits  of  his  patient  and 
prayerful  endeavours,  and  of  seeing  the  fulfilment  of  that 
faith  and  hope  which  had  often  cheered  him  in  the  early 
days  of  his  missionary  career.  The  dark  heathenism  wliich 
enveloped  the  country  at  the  time  when  he  first  set  foot  on 
its  shores  had  broken  and  lifted  before  the  light  of  the 
glorious  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  Kuruman,  itself  the  crea- 
tion of  his  own  hands,  had  been  for  many  years  a  stand- 
ing testimony  to  the  elevating  and  civilising  power  of  the 
Christian  faith.  The  regions  beyond,  which  before  no 
individual  dare  to  traverse,  were  now  passed  without  fear 
of  molestation.  European  manufactures,  to  the  amount  of 
one  hundred  thousand  pounds,  were  now  annually  inter- 
changed with  the  natives,  who  previously  knew  not  what 
commerce  was.  Above  all,  among  the  various  tribes  of  the 
interior  as  far  as  the  distant  Matabele,  a  band  of  brave  and 
earnest  missionaries,  both  men  and  women,  were  preaching 
and  living  Christianity,  setting  an  example  of  consistent 
moral  conduct  to  the  savages  around,  treating  them  with 
kindness,  teaching  them  agriculture  and  useful  handicrafts, 
and  imparting  to  them  religious  instruction. 

The  day  of  departure  at  length  came.  It  was  a  day  of 
bitter  parting  and  of  affectionate  regrets  on  all  hands.  On 
leaving  the  Kuruman  en  route  for  England,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Moff£|,t  came  by  a  rough  yet  safe  journey  of  about  eight 


RETIREMENT  PROM  MISSION  PlElD.     205 


weeks'  duration  to  Port  Elizabeth.  There,  on  the  20th  of 
May  1870,  they  received  a  hearty  welcome  from  a  large 
number  of  missionaries  and  other  friends  who  had  come 
together  to  meet  them.  During  the  overland  journey  they 
had  been  exposed  to  cold  weather  and  heavy  rains,  especially 
in  crossing  the  snow  mountains.  From  Graaf  Reinet  to 
Port  Elizabeth  the  roads  were  fearfully  bad.  They  passed 
many  waggons  laden  with  wool  brought  to  a  stand  up  to 
their  axles  in  mud.  Through  the  good  providence  of  God, 
however,  they  were  able  to  accomplish  their  journey  without 
accident  or  loss. 

In  addressing  the  company  who  gathered  round  him  at 
Port  Elizabeth,  he  thus  referred  to  the  accomplishment  of 
his  great  labours  in  translation : — "  I  had  hoped  that  I 
should  be  excused  as  to  making  a  speech,  as  I  am  suffering 
from  a  cold,  but  I  find  it  quite  impossible  to  remain  silent. 
I  should  be  a  mussel  or  a  cockle,  or  something  of  that  kind, 
not  to  feel  impressed  with  what  has  been  said.  I  have 
been  reminded  of  past  events,  past  hours,  past  days,  past 
years.  I  have  been  carried  back  to  past  scenes  which  I  can 
never  forget.  I  still  remember  distinctlv  when  I  first 
became  a  missionary^-Uie  great  undertaking  it  seemed  to  be 
to  learn  the  language  of  the  peopI<J  among  whom  I  was 
placed.  There  were  no  int^T^reters  to  teach  us  a  single 
word,  and  great  difficulties  were  thrown  in  the  missionaries' 
way.  However,  I  laboured  on,  gathering  a  few  words  at 
a  time  from  one  and  another  until  I  could  string  sentences 
together,  and  make  my  wishes  known  to  the  natives.  I  could 
make  you  laugh  as  I  laughed  when  I  discovered  them,  at 
jokes  perpetrated  towards  us  by  the  natives,  and  amusing 
things  that  occurred  to  us  during  our  inquiries ;  but  I 
laboured  on.  During  all  this  time  we  had  not  a  friend  in 
the  whole  nation,  not  an  individual  that  loved  or  respected 
us,  or  who  wished  us  to  remain  among  them  ;  and  although 
they  tried  to  drive  us  out,  we  persevered,  and  by   God's 


206  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

grace  and  assistance  overcame  every  difficulty.  My  worthy 
brother  Hamilton  was  too  old  to  acquire  the  language,  but 
I  in  time  mastered  it.  How  ardently  I  desired  to  see  the 
New  Testament  in  Sechuana,  that  I  might  read  it  to 
the  natives,  and  that  they  might  learn  to  read  it  for  them- 
selves. I  managed  after  a  time  to  translate  small  portions 
and  read  them  to  the  people  in  their  own  tongue.  The 
mission,  I  saw,  could  make  no  firm  footing  among  them 
unless  the  Scriptures  were  translated.  The  task  of  accom- 
plishing this  you  can  scarcely  imagine.  When  I  came  first 
out  to  Africa  I  had  not  the  slisfhtest  intention  of  ever 
engaging  in  such  a  work.  I  never  aimed  at  being  more 
than  a  preacher.  I  was  urged,  however,  by  Dr.  Philip 
(whose  letters  I  have  still  by  me),  and  by  others,  to  perse- 
vere in  acquiring  the  language,  and  to  undertake  the  trans- 
lation of  the  Scriptures ;  but  I  thought  it  altogether 
beyond  my  powers.  I  wrote  to  the  directors  that  I  could  not 
do  it,  and  begged  them  to  send  some  one  out  who  could.  I 
felt  that  I  had  not  sat  long  enough  at  the  feet  of  any  Gamaliel 
to  qualify  me.  I  then  heard  that  my  brother-in-law  had 
been  ordained  to  the  ministry,  and  was  to  join  me,  and  as 
he  had  received  a  liberal  education,  I  prepared  materials  for 
him  to  begin  with  immediately  after  his  arrival,  but  his 
destination  was  altered  ;  he  was  sent  to  the  East  Indies.  I 
wrote  again  to  the  directors,  telling  them  that  if  they  did 
not  send  some  one  to  translate  the  Scriptures  I  should 
return  home.  By-and-by  Mr.  Robson  came  out,  as  I 
thought,  for  the  work,  but  he  remained  in  the  colony. 
After  this  I  also  visited  the  colony,  and  met  brother 
Elliott,  now  gone  to  heaven.  He,  I  hoped,  might  be 
allowed  us,  but  that  was  inconvenient.  At  last  I  brought 
myself  to  the  resolution  that,  if  no  one  else  would,  I  would 
undertake  it  myself.  I  entered  heartily  upon  the  work. 
For  many  years  I  had  no  leisure,  every  spare  moment  being 
devoted  to  translating,  and  I  became  a  stranger  even  in  my 


RETIREMENT  FROM  MISSION  FIELD.       207 

own  family.  There  was  labour  every  day  for  back,  for 
liancls,  for  head.  This  was  especially  the  case  during  the 
time  Mr.  Edwards  was  there ;  our  condition  was  almost  one 
of  slavery.  Still  the  work  advanced,  and  at  length  I  had 
the  satisfaction  of  completing  the  New  Testament.  Of 
this  six  thousand  copies  were  printed  by  the  home  society. 
The  whole  were  soon  distributed  and  found  insufficient. 
When  Dr.  Livingstone  came  he  urged  rae  to  begin  at  once 
with  the  Old  Testament.  That  was  a  most  stupendous 
work.  Before  taking  it  in  hand  I  passed  many  sleepless 
nights.  Snice  however  it  was  the  wish  of  all  that  I  should 
undertake  it,  I  did  so,  and  went  on  from  time  to  time  as  I 
had  leisure,  daily  and  nightly.  I  stuck  to  it  as  far  as  to  the 
end  of  Kings,  when  I  became  completely  done  up.  The 
directors  were  themselves  afraid  that  I  was  killing  myself 
I  was  advised  to  go  home,  to  leave  the  work,  but  I  decided 
otherwise.  I  determined,  on  the  contrary,  to  look  up  Mo- 
selekatse,  and  went  off  in  company  with  a  son  of  brother 
Edwards.  By  the  time  I  had  found  the  chief  I  was  all 
right  again.  Coming  back,  I  resumed  my  work,  and  have 
continued  it  to  completion ;  and  now  I  can  look  forward  to 
the  "Word  of  God  being  read  by  thousands  of  Bechuanas  in 
their  own  mother  tongue." 

Having  thus  spoken  of  the  chief  work  of  his  life,  he  went 
on  to  describe  the  general  progress  made  in  the  interior. 
"Christianity,"  he  said,  "has  already  accomplished  much. 
When  first  I  went  to  the  Kuruman  scarcely  an  individual 
could  go  beyond.  Now  they  travel  in  safety  as  far  as  the 
Zambesi.  Then  we  were  strangers,  and  they  could  not 
understand  us.  We  were  treated  with  indignity,  as  the 
outcasts  of  society,  who,  driven  from  our  own  race,  took 
refuge  with  them.  But  bearing  in  remembrance  what  our 
Saviour  underwent,  we  persevered,  and  much  success  has 
rewarded  our  efforts.  Now  it  is  safe  to  traverse  any  part 
of  the  country,   and  traders  travel  far  beyond  Kuruman 


208  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  1)3. 

without  fear  of  molestation.  Formerly  men  of  one  native 
tribe  could  not  travel  through  another's  territory,  and  wars 
were  frequent.  Where  one  station  was  scarcely  tolerated 
there  are  several.  The  Moravians  have  their  missionaries, 
the  Berlin  Society  theirs.  Others,  too,  are  occupied  in  the 
good  work,  besides  many  native  Gospel  teachers." 

With  reference  to  the  difficulties  encountered  at  the  out- 
set, the  speaker  entered  more  fully  into  enumeration  of  the 
gratifying  proofs  that  many  of  them  had  been  overcome. 
"  For  many  years,"  he  added,  "  we  saw  not  the  conversion  of 
a  single  individual ;  for  years  again  we  had  only  one ;  but 
by  the  blessing  of  God  on  great  exertion,  almost  wherever 
we  go  we  now  meet  with  companies  of  natives  who 
profess  to  be  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  Not  very 
long  since  it  was  considered  dangerous  to  travel  into  the 
interior,  in  fact  half-a-dozen  miles  from  the  station.  Now  I 
am  happy  to  say  the  natives  can  be  depended  upon,  and  it 
is  quite  common  for  traders  to  travel  through  their  midst 
without  the  least  fear  of  plunder  or  interruption.  In  former 
times  traders  were  often  basely  murdered,  or  at  best  not 
permitted  to  return.  Now  all  fears  have  been  dispelled. 
Once  the  natives  would  not  buy  anything,  not  even  a  pocket- 
handkerchief.  They  might  now  and  then  be  induced  to  buy 
a  few  trinkets  or  some  beads,  but  nothing  of  a  substantial 
or  useful  character.  It  is  not  so  now.  No  less  than  sixty 
thousand  pounds'  worth  of  British  manufactures  pass  yearly 
into  the  hands  of  the  native  tribes  round  about  Kuruman. 
During  my  early  mission  life  I  often  heard  of  men  of  one 
tribe  going  to  trade  with  another  and  being  murdered.  I 
was  at  a  native  place  when  a  thing  of  that  sort  once  occurred. 
A  party  of  men  had  come  two  hundred  miles  to  dispose  of 
some  articles.  The  resident  natives,  taking  a  dislike  to 
them,  set  upon  them  and  killed  two  of  the  number.  I  asked 
them  why  they  had  done  this,  and  tried  to  shew  them  that 
it  was  wrong.     They  seemed  to  know  that,  and  from  that 


RETIREMENT  FROM  MISSION  FIELD.       209 


time  I  have  never  heard  of  anything  of  the  sort.  They  are 
now  always  ready  to  meet  any  traders  or  other  persons. 
Companies  of  natives  can  be  passed  through  without  fear, 
and  they  shew  special  respect  to  the  missionaries.  I  assure 
the  gentlemen  present  that  many  natives  at  the  Kuruman 
are  well  able  to  discuss  and  argue  upon  the  doctrines  of 
Christ.  T  do  not  mean  that  they  can  enter  into  any  lengthy 
or  out-of-the-way  points,  but  this  I  will  say  that  they  can 
argue  with  sense  upon  any  general  question.  They  may  not 
always  stick  to  a  text,  but  they  will  rarely  go  outside  of  the 
Bible.  And  these  are  a  people  who  forty  years  ago  were 
nothing  better  than  savages,  but  who.  by  the  blessing  of 
God  upon  the  labours  of  those  who  have  devoted  their 
lives  to  their  work,  have  been  brought  to  be  intelligent 
disciples  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ." 

After  a  brief  stay  at  Port  Elizabeth  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moffat 
embarked  in  the  mail  steamer  Roman^  and  landed  at  Cape 
Town  on  the  2nd  of  June.  The  following  day  they  were 
entertained  by  the  whole  Christian  community  at  a  public 
breakfast,  and  after  a  few  days  rest  proceeded  towards  Eng- 
land in  the  Norsernan,  arriving  at  Southampton  on  the  25tli 
of  July.  On  Monday,  1st  August,  at  the  board-room  of  the 
London  Mission  House  in  Bloomfield  Street,  the  veteran 
missionary  was  received  on  his  return  by  the  directors  of 
the  society.  Mr.  James  Hawkins,  late  an  English  judge  in 
India,  and  chairman  of  the  board,  presided,  and  nearly  a 
hundred  directors  and  friends  were  present.  After  devo- 
tional exercises  the  E-ev.  Dr.  Mullens,  secretary  of  the 
society,  performed  the  pleasing  duty  of  introduction.  Mr. 
Moffat  then  rose  amid  enthusiastic  applause.  "  Friends 
and  brethren,"  he  said,  "  I  have  been  listening  with  great 
attention,  and  occasionally  with  very  deep  feeling,  to  the 
words  which  have  been  spoken,  and  which  have  deeply 
impressed  me.  I  have  felt  their  weight,  but,  alas !  it  is  not 
for  rne  on  the  present  occasion  to  meet  the  expectations  of 

U 


210  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


some  with  regard  to  saying  a  word  or  two  for  myself.  I  am 
unpleasantly  situated.  The  night  before  last  I  had  scarcely 
any  sleep,  and  last  night  I  had  none ;  and  at  the  present 
time  I  feel  my  head  like  an  empty  calabash,  as  we  say  in 
Africa.  It  is  not  very  seasonable  to  give  anything  like  an 
address,  but  a  few  words  I  will  speak — I  cannot  help 
speaking.  It  was  not  my  expectation  to  be  here  ;  it  was 
not  my  intention  again  to  visit  England.  When  I  last  left 
the  board  of  directors,  it  was,  in  thought,  for  ever.  Never 
did  it  enter  my  mind  that  I  should  set  my  feet  on  English 
soil  again ;  but  it  has  been  ordered  otherwise.  Even  on 
the  first  occasion  when  I  came  home  it  was  not  a  matter  of 
choice.  When  I  went  out  I  went  out  for  life  ;  when  I  gave 
myself  to  the  missionary  enterprise  it  was  to  live  and  die 
in  the  service.  I  always  anticipated  I  should  leave  my 
dust  to  mingle  with  those  whom  I  have  been  instrumental 
in  gathering  from  among  the  heathen,  and  who  are  now 
participating  in  the  glories  of  the  heavenly  world.  When  I 
came  to  the  Cape,  previous  to  my  first  visit,  I  brought  a 
translation  of  the  New  Testament,  which  I  had  accomplished 
under  considerable  difficulties,  being  engaged  a  portion  of 
the  day  in  roofing  an  immense  church,  and  the  remainder 
in  exegetical  examinations  and  consulting  concordances.  I 
was  anxious  to  get  it  printed,  and  I  brought  it  down  to  the 
Cape,  but  there  1  could  find  no  printing-office  that  would 
undertake  it.  The  committee  of  the  Bible  Society  very 
kindly — as  they  have  always  been  to  me ;  I  say  it  with 
pleasure — forwarded  paper  and  ink  to  the  Cape,  expecting 
I  should  get  the  work  done  there.  As  I  said,  there  was 
not  a  printing-office  that  would  undertake  it.  Dining  with 
Sir  George  Napier,  the  Governor,  I  informed  him  of  the 
difficulty.  lie  said,  'Jump  on  board  a  ship  with  your 
translation  and  get  it  printed  in  England,  and  you  will 
be  back  again  while  they  are  thinking  about  it  here. 
Print  a  New  Testament  among  a  set  of  Dutch  printers ! 


RETIREMENT  FROM  MISSION  FIELD.      211 

— why,  I  can't  even  get  my  proclamations  printed.'  I 
said,  '  I  have  become  too  barbarous  ;  I  have  almost  for- 
gotten my  own  language ;  I  sliould  be  frightened  to  go 
there.'  'Oh,  stuff!'  he  said.  Some  time  after  he  met 
me  in  the  street.  'Well,  Moffat,  what  have  you  deter- 
mined upon?'  'I  am  waiting  the  return  of  Dr.  Philip.' 
'Don't  wait  for  anybody,  just  jump  on  board  a  ship.  Think 
of  the  importance  of  getting  the  New  Testament  put  m 
print  in  a  new  language  ! '  He  invited  me  to  dinner  again, 
and  said,  '  Have  you  come  to  a  conclusion  ?  I  wish  I  could 
give  you  mine.  I  feel  some  interest  in  the  extension  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  Word  of  God.  Take  nobody's  advice,  but 
jump  on  board  a  ship  for  England.'  He  spoke  so  seriously 
that  I  began  to  feel  serious  myself.  Dr.  Philip  came,  and 
when  all  the  circumstances  were  explained,  he  said,  '  Go,  by 
all  means  1 '  I  was  nervous  at  the  thought.  I  was  not  a 
nervous  man  m  Africa ;  I  could  sleep  and  hear  a  lion  roar. 
There  seemed  so  many  great  folks  to  meet  with.  I  came  to 
England,  and  by-and-by  I  got  over  it.  I  am  afraid  I  have 
got  too  old  to  improve  now.  On  this  second  occa,sioii  there 
was  a  necessity.  I  was  a  martyr  to  wakefulness ,  I  was 
dying  by  inches.  Nothing  could  induce  sleep,  no  matter 
what  kind  of  opiates  I  employed.  A  week  would  pass 
without  a  moment's  sleep  ;  a  month,  perhaps,  with  very  short 
intervals.  I  was  a  wonder  not  only  to  myself  but  to  others. 
Occasionally  I  got  a  little  sleep,  but  that  was  only  the  pre- 
lude to  no  sleep  at  all  for  a  long  period.  I  thought  of 
•taking  a  journey  into  the  interior,  but  after  further  consulta- 
tion 1  at  last  came  to  the  conclusion  to  go  home,  and  saw 
my  path  in  that  direction  clear.  I  w^as  aware  I  should  be 
received,  and  verily  I  have  been  received,  with  kindness 
passing  description.  I  came  to  Port  Elizabeth,  and  really 
the  people  did  not  seem  to  know  how  they  could  do  enough 
to  express  their  feeling.  I  thought  I  was  a  solitary  mis- 
sionary, and  I   should  just  pass  by,  but  they  took  all  out 


212  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

of  me  they  could  find  in  me,  and  I  believe  their  kind  recep- 
tion had  a  very  salutary  influence  upon  me.  I  came  to 
Cape  Town,  and  there  they  had  everything  prepared  before 
I  arrived.  I  received  a  hearty  welcome  from  all  sections 
of  the  church,  every  one  congratulating  mo  and  passing 
encomiums.  Some  of  the  speeches  were  admirable.  I 
only  wish  they  had  been  taken  down.  Since  coming  into 
this  room  I  could  hardly  allow  myself  to  think  of  the  last 
assembly  that  I  witnessed  here.  There  sat  Dr.  Tidman, 
and  there  the  other  secretary,  Mr.  Freeman.  There,  too, 
were  Mr.  Coombs,  Mr.  Philip,  Mr.  Arundel,  Dr.  Waugh, 
and  last,  not  least,  Dr.  Henderson,  to  whose  own  transla- 
tions I  felt  so  much  indebted.  These  are  all  gone  ;  it  is 
depressing  to  think  of  it ;  we  are  following,  and  others  will 
follow.  But,  say  they  are  gone.  Oh !  brethren,  the  work  for 
which  God  became  man — a  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted 
with  grief,  the  first  missionary  in  the  world — what  a  glorious 
work  in  which  to  be  found,  whether  in  life  or  in  death  !  How 
is  it  to  go  with  me  I  know  not.  I  shall  do  all  that  in  me  lies 
for  the  advancement  of  the  missionary  cause.  I  shall  not 
fail,  wherever  I  am,  to  use  all  the  means  within  my  power, 
by  presence  or  word,  to  advance  that  great  cause  to  which  I 
have  devoted  my  life.  It  would  have  been  pleasant  just  to 
remain  with  the  people  among  whom  I  laboured  so  long,  by 
whom  I  am  beloved,  and  whom  I  love.  Oh,  that  parting 
was  a  scene  hard  to  witness  without  emotion  !  Not  only 
from  Christian  converts,  but  from  heathen  chiefs  did  I  receive 
tokens  of  goodwill.  Their  amanuenses  brought  letters  de- 
ploring my  departure,  and  presents  to  induce  me  not  to  quit 
the  country,  but  to  remain,  promising  to  give  me  so  much  more 
if  I  would  but  remain.  It  was  gratifying  to  see  these  tokens, 
especially  from  the  heathen  and  those  able  to  appreciate 
one's  labour  among  them.  One  sent  an  ox,  another  a  kaross, 
and  so  on  ;  a  lady  of  quality  sent  me  four  feathers.  Some 
of  them  asked  how  they  were  to  live — how  they  were  to  exist 


HE  TIRE  ME KT  FROM  MISSION  FIELD.     'lU 

— if  I  went  out  of  the  country ;  that  is  a  form  of  expression 
among  them.  It  is  consolatory  to  think  that  the  influence 
of  the  Gospel  in  that  dark  benighted  country  is  spreading 
and  is  going  into  the  interior,  covering  hamlet  after  hamlet, 
until  its  advance,  let  us  be  assured,  will  cover  the  whole  land. 
It  is  for  us  to  pray  and  to  labour,  and  we  have  the  assurance 
that  Ethiopia  shall  yet  stretch  out  her  hands  unto  God. 
I  feel  exceedingly  grateful  to  my  friends  for  the  kind  way 
in  which  I  have  been  received,  and  in  my  secret  hours  I 
will  return  thanks  to  God  for  all  these  tokens  of  friendship 
of  which  I  have  been  the  recipient  this  day." 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


FRUITFUL    AND    HONOURABLE    AGE. 


INCE  his  retirement  from  the  mission-fielcl,  Dr.  Moftat 
^     lias   continued   to   render   important   services   from 

r}./^^  time  to  time  to  the  cause,  and  has  been  honoured 
by  all  sections  of  the  Church  in  many  ways.  Within 
a  few  months  after  his  return  to  England,  he  appeared  on 
the  platforms  of  the  London  Missionary  Society,  and  the 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  in  Exeter  Hall,  speaking 
at  the  anniversaries  of  both  these  societies  in  1871. 

His  welcome  at  the  annual  meetino-  of  the  London  Mis- 
sionary  Society  was  most  enthusiastic,  the  whole  audience 
standing  up  to  greet  him  with  repeated  cheers  when  he  rose 
to  speak.  He  spoke  of  the  changes  he  had  witnessed  in 
the  character  of  the  people  among  whom  he  had  laboured, 
and  of  the  great  moral  and  social  elevation  which  had 
followed  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  in  Southern  Africa. 
At  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society's  meeting  he  was 
also  most  warmly  received,  and  was  listened  to  with  tho 
most  earnest  attention  while  speaking  in  tones  of  endear- 
ment of  the  land  which  he  had  left,  but  wliere  he  would 
fain  be  labouring  still,  and  recounting  his  labours  in  tho 
translation  of  the  Scriptures  into  the  Secliuana  tongue,  and 


FRUITFUL  AND  HONOURABLE  AGE.       215 


telling  of  the  longing  of  tlie  people  to  possess  copies  of  the 
Word  of  God. 

The  follov/ing  year  the  veteran  missionary  again  stood  on 
the  platform  of  the  London  Missionary  Society  at  its  great 
anniversary,  and  addressed  the  crowded  audience.  He  was 
greeted  with  the  warmest  demonstrations  of  respect,  and 
adverted  to  the  success  of  the  effort  which  had  been  made 
by  the  juvenile  friends  of  the  society  for  the  Moffat  Institu- 
tion, as  it  was  proposed  to  call  the  seminary  for  training 
native  teachers  in  South  Africa,  and  for  which  upwards  of 
five  thousand  pounds  had  been  raised  during  the  previous 
twelve  months.  He  thanked  the  little  folk  for  their  hand- 
some subscription,  with  tender  pathos  expressed  a  longing 
to  clasp  them  all  to  his  heart,  and  invoked  the  Divine  bene- 
diction on  them  and  their  efforts.  He  seemed,  as  he  spoke, 
to  combine  in  himself  both  the  patriarch  and  the  apostle, 
and  neither  the  matter  nor  the  manner  of  his  address  will 
ever  be  forgotten  by  those  who  heard  it.  One  of  the  subse- 
quent speakers  at  that  meeting  was  the  Rev.  J.  Fleming,  a 
clergyman  of  the  Established  Church.  In  adverting  to  Dr. 
Moffat,  he  called  him  "our  Robert  Moffat;"  the  remark 
called  forth  thunders  of  applause.  "Yes,"  repeated  the 
speaker,  "  our  Robert  Moffat,  for  I  cannot  allow  that  he  is 
only  yours ;  such  a  man  as  Robert  Moffat  belongs  to  all  the 
Church  of  God." 

In  May  1873  Dr.  Mofiat  received  a  very  substantial 
recognition  of  his  long,  faithful,  and  valuable  services  in 
'  the  mission  cause.  One  mornnig  about  three  hundred 
ladies  and  gentlemen  breakfasted  together  at  Cannon  Street 
Hotel,  London.  The  chair  was  taken  by  Mr.  Samuel 
Morley,  M.R  After  breakfast  the  chairman  read  a  brief 
sketch  of  the  distinguished  South  African  missionary's 
career.  More  than  half  a  century  ago,  he  said,  when  Dr. 
Moffat  crossed  the  Orange  River  into  the  Bechuana  territory, 
there  was  nothing  but  vice,  misery,  and  degradation.     Now 


SI 6  LIFJ^  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

tlie  Sabl)atli  is  a  recognised  institution,  and  the  people  are 
making  rapid  progress  in  Christian  civilisation.  An  address 
to  the  reverend  gentleman  was  read  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Binney, 
in  whicli  a  hope  was  expressed  that  the  guest  of  the  day 
might  be  permitted  to  see  and  welcome  to  his  native  country 
his  distinguished  son-in-law,  Dr.  Livingstone.  The  hope, 
alas  !  was  not  fulfilled.  Instead  of  welcoming  his  living 
son  he  was  only  permitted  to  receive  his  dead  remains. 

Mr.  Morley  stated  that  a  number  of  Dr.  MofTat's  friends 
had  felt  it  laid  upon  their  hearts  to  present  him  with  some 
testimonial  whicli  should  be  an  expression  of  their  Christian 
love  and  thankfulness,  and  their  high  appreciation  of  his 
life-long  devotion  to  Jesus  Christ  and  the  souls  of  men, 
and  which  at  the  same  time  should  make  some  provision  for 
the  comfort  of  his  declining  years.  He  stated  that  the  total 
amount  received  was  £5812,  10s.  6d.,  that  of  this  amount 
£5250  had  been  invested  in  the  names  of  trustees  in  East 
India  Guaranteed  Railway  Stock,  yielding  a  minimum 
income  of  <£234,  10s.  per  annum,  and  that  the  balance  would 
be  paid  to  Dr.  Moffat.  The  presentation  of  the  trust-deed 
having  been  made,  it  was  acknowledged  by  Dr.  Moflat, 
who  said  that  during  the  last  fifty  years  he  had  ti-avelled 
thousands  of  miles  amonof  savage  beasts  and  still  more 
savage  men,  and  sometimes  had  been  delivered  from  danger 
by  the  skin  of  his  teeth.  Though,  on  looking  back  upon  a 
long  life  of  missionary  labour,  he  felt  that  he  ought  to  have 
done  more  work,  and  to  have  done  his  work  better,  his 
heart  overflowed  with  gratitude  to  God  for  the  blessings 
which  He  had  poured  on  missionary  efforts  in  that  part  of 
Africa  with  which  he  had  been  connected.  He  recalled  the 
days  of  early  missionary  labour,  when  the  allowances  were, 
under  Dr.  Yanderkemp  and  the  Dutch  directors  at  the 
Cape,  eighteen  pounds  seven  shillings  for  a  single  missionary, 
five  pounds  five  shillings  for  a  wife,  six  pounds  three 
shillings  for  building  a  house,  and  eighteen  pounds  seven 


FRUITFUL  AND  HOmUMABLE  AGE.      217 

sliillings  for  the  purchase  of  cattle  or  sheep.  It  was  with 
such  resources  that  he  commenced  his  career. 

Dr.  Moffat  has  not  confined  his  advocacy  of  Christian 
missions  to  the  London  Missionary  Society.  His  breast  is 
filled  with  the  expansive  and  all-embracing  love  which  the 
Gospel  inspires;  he  looks  with  compassion  on  all  mankind, 
and  with  the  affection  of  a  Christian  brother  on  all  who 
bear  the  Saviour's  name  and  image,  and  he  wishes  the 
most  complete  success  to  follow  every  effort  for  the  con- 
version of  men  to  God.  Hence,  in  1875,  we  find  him  among 
tiie  speakers  in  Exeter  Hall  at  the  annual  missionary 
meeting  of  the  United  Methodist  Free  Churches.  In  the 
course  of  a  most  able  and  attractive  address  on  that 
occasion,  he  said  that  it  was  now  fifty-eight  years  since  he 
first  laid  himself  on  the  missionary  altar,  and  during  all 
that  period  his  mind  had  been  undivided  in  devotion  to  the 
work.  He  had  made  it  his  one  great  business  to  try  to 
benefit  the  poor  African  both  for  the  present  life  and  that 
which  is  to  come.  His  motto  was  that  of  the  Apostle 
Paul— "This  one  thing  I  do." 

Some  years  ago  the  Archbishops  of  Canterbury  and 
York,  feeling  the  importance  of  promoting  missionary  work 
throughout  the  world,  and  the  need  of  God's  blessing  to 
render  it  successful,  instituted  a  day  of  intercession  for 
Christian  missions,  and  issued  a  joint  invitation  to  all  to 
engage  in  its  general  observance.  The  year  1876  was 
memorable,  because  Dr.  Moffat,  at  the  invitation  of  Dean 
Stanley,  delivered  a  lecture  on  the  day  set  apart  for  the 
intercessory  services  in  Westminster  Abbey  on  the  theme 
so  near  his  heart,  and  his  devotion  to  which  has  been 
demonstrated  by  the  labours  of  a  life.  It  w^as  an  impressive 
manifestation  of  that  Christian  unity  which  ought  to  exist 
among  the  disciples  of  our  common  Lord  in  the  great  work 
of  the  evangelisation  of  the  world,  and  the  proclamation  of  his 
grace  and  mercy  in  the  Gospel.     To  behold  the  venerable 


218  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

Nonconformist  missionary  standing  in  one  of  the  oldest 
ecclesiastical  structures  devoted  to  the  worship  of  the  English 
Church,  surrounded  with  accessories  so  different  from  those  I 
to  which  he  was  accustomed  when  conducting  missionary 
services  in  Africa,  was  to  every  right-minded  Christian 
present  in  the  large  assembly  a  pleasant  gratifying  sight, 
and  one  which  will  not  soon  or  easily  be  forgotten. 

The  occasion  suggested  an  article  in  the  Times,  in  which 
the  writer  remarked  : — "  For  a  man  to  have  surrendered 
himself  so  completely  to  the  interests  of  the  people  whom  he 
desired  to  evangelise,  that  he  has  at  length  to  apologise  to  an 
assembly  of  his  own  countrymen,  as  Dr.  Moffat  did,  for 
ha^'ing  ceased  to  think  in  his  native  tongue,  is  a  rare  exhibi- 
tion of  the  true  missionary  spirit.  It  will  certainly  be  one 
of  the  most  memorable  incidents  to  be  recounted  by  some 
future  Dean  Stanley,  when  supplementing  the  already  re- 
corded history  of  Westminster  Abbey,  that  Dr.  MofTat, 
speaking  near  the  grave  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  should  have 
described  within  its  walls  the  principles  on  which  he  and 
his  illustrious  follower  laid  the  first  real  foundation  of 
South  African  Christianity.  Such  an  occasion  was  no 
doubt  one  to  fire  with  an  unusual  expansiveness  the  liberal 
enthusiasm  of  the  Dean  of  Westminster,  and  it  would  indeed 
have  been  impossible  for  him  to  say  too  much  on  behalf  o£ 
the  claims  upon  our  honour  and  gratitude  asserted  by  the 
missionary  energy  of  other  Christian  communities  besides 
the  Church  of  England." 

As  one  of  the  fruits  of  the  religious  awakening  in  our 
land  of  late  years,  an  unprecedented  number  of  medical 
students  and  otliers  have  been  offering  themselves  as  candi- 
dates for  medical  missionary  training.  This  gratifying  fact, 
along  with  the  great  and  increasing  demand  for  medical 
missionaries,  led  the  Edinburgh  Medical  Missionary  Society, 
a  few  years  ago,  to  erect  a  commodious  Medical  Mission 
Dispensary  and  Training  Institution.     The  establishment  is 


FRUITFUL  AND  HONOURABLE  AGE.       219 

appropriately  associated  with  the  honoured  name  of  David 
Livingstone,  who  was  himself  a  medical  missionary  and  a 
corresponding  member  of  the  society.  On  the  9th  of  June 
1877  Dr.  Molfat  was  honoured  to  lay  the  memorial  stone  of 
the  Livingstone  Memorial  Medical  Institution  in  Cowgate, 
Edinburgh,  in  the  presence  of  a  large  assemblage  of  specta- 
tors, including  Sir  John  M'Neill,  G.C.B.,  who  presided,  and 
many  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Edinburgh.  On  the  occasion 
he  advocated  in  an  earnest  and  eloquent  manner  the  claims 
of  the  institution.  Elsewhere  he  says  of  it : — "The  Living- 
stone Medical  Missionary  Memorial  will  be  a  living  one, 
diffusing  influence  and  scattering  blessings,  not  to  Africa 
only,  but  to  every  quarter  of  the  globe  where  suffering 
humanity  is  crying  for  the  sympathy  of  human  aid.  Many 
a  time  have  I  witnessed  results  of  the  most  gratifying- 
character  from  medical  aid,  and  that  not  in  reference  to  the 
present  life  only,  but  what  is  infinite  —  eternity.  The 
reports  of  the  labours  and  successes  of  medical  missionaries 
are  calculated  to  arouse  the  deepest  sympathy  and  love  of 
every  Christian  heart."  By  this  and  similar  acts  of  service 
Moffat  has,  even  in  what  may  be  called  his  retirement,  con- 
tinued to  give  material  assistance  to  the  great  cause  of 
Christian  missions.  His  name  possesses  a  charm  —  the 
story  of  his  life  and  labours  is  one  which  men  never  weary 
in  hearing — his  appearance  and  age  excite  reverence — his 
association  with  any  good  movement,  and  his  advocacy  of 
its  claims,  must  be  a  source  of  strength  and  prosperity. 

'  In  October  1878  a  General  Conference  on  Foreign 
Missions  was  held  at  the  Conference  Hall,  Mildmay  Park, 
London.  A  similar  conference  had  been  held  at  Liverpool 
in  1860,  which  was  pleasant  and  profitable  at  the  time,  and 
had  been  productive  of  much  subsequent  good.  It  was 
considered  that  the  time  had  arrived  when  another  gathering 
of  the  friends  of  missions  might  be  convened,  in  order  that 
those  who  were  closely  identified  with  the  practical  side  of 


220  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D, 


missionary  life  might  again  compare  notes  in  regard  to  the 
character  and  position  of  their  work,  and  specially  might 
consult  together  as  to  whether  they  could  combine  their 
forces  and  increase  them,  so  as  to  secure  a  larger  range  of 
Christian  service  among  the  heathen  nations  of  the  earth. 

The  conference  lasted  four  days,  and  was  largely  attended. 
The  list  of  members  shewed  representatives  of  the  Berlin, 
the  Rhenish,  the  Basle,  and  the  Paris  Missionary  Societies ; 
several  American  gentlemen  testified  to  the  work  carried  on 
by  the  missionary  agencies  which  flourish  so  greatly  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  while  the  English  and  Scotch 
Societies  were  well  represented. 

At  the  first  session  the  subject  of  mission  work  in  Africa 
came  up  for  discussion,  when  Dr.  Mofiat  was  one  of  the 
chief  speakers.  After  alluding  to  the  hard  climate  of  this 
country,  for  which  he  had  had  to  exchange  the  sunny  skies 
of  interior  Africa,  he  said  : —  "I  came  here  with  no  intention 
of  making  a  speech  ;  I  am  quite  unprepared  to  say  anything. 
But  whenever  Africa  comes  up,  that  is  a  text  upon  which  I 
can  always  speak.  I  am  always  willing  to  hear  anything 
about  Africa,  and  am  always  willing  to  say  something  in 
regard  to  it.  Of  course  it  might  be  expected  that  I  can  say 
a  great  deal,  for  I  have  spent  the  most  of  my  life  in  the 
interior  of  that  vast  continent.  From  the  day  I  went  out 
in  1816  to  this  day  I  have  been  advocating  the  claims  of 
Africa.  One  friend  just  remarked  that  if  he  were  a  young 
man  he  would  like  to  go  there  again.  I  would  go  out  to- 
morrow were  it  in  my  power,  and  I  think  I  am  not  too  old 
yet.  It  was  an  over-taxed  brain  that  brought  me  home, 
and  brought  on  wakefulness,  which  nothing  can  cure. 

"  My  heart  has  been  warmed  by  the  grand  things  which  I 
heard  this  morning  respecting  Africa.  Already  great 
triumphs  have  been  accomplished.  When  I  first  landed 
there,  in  the  year  1816,  there  was  only  one  missionary 
beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  Colony.     It  was  not  until  our 


FRUITFUL  AND  HONOURABLE  AGE.       221 


society  resolved  to  send  missionaries  beyond  that  the  thino- 
was  attempted  at  all.  The  London  Missionary  Society  has 
been  a  pioneer  society  in  this  respect.  It  has  been  so  to 
the  South  Sea  Islands ;  it  has  been  the  pioneer  to  China,  it 
has  been  the  pioneer  to  Madagascar,  and  it  has  been  the  pio- 
neer to  the  tribes  beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  Cape  Colony. 
Until  missionaries  were  sent  to  the  Kaffirs  and  Zulus, 
nothing  was  attempted.  The  noble  Moravians  had  estab- 
lished a  mission  station  near  the  coast — and  noble  mission- 
aries they  are,  and  ever  will  be ;  but  they  confine  their 
labours  exclusively  to  the  people. about  the  coast. 

"  When  I  landed  on  the  shores  of  Africa  Joseph  Williams 
had  just  died  in  Kaffirland  ;  he  was  followed  by  Brownlee. 
Now  what  do  we  see  1  We  see  the  Zulus  from  Port  Natal 
to  Delagoa  Bay,  behind  the  range  where  the  Kaffirs  are, 
and  the  Bechuanas  extending  to  twenty  degrees  of  south 
latitude,  and  all  the  other  tribes — tribes  which  are  merely 
names  in  your  ears,  but  which  are  great  tribes  and  important 
fields  when  viewed  from  the  closer  eye  of  missionary  labour — 
we  see  them  all  open  to  the  sound  of  the  Gospel ;  we  see 
the  messengers  of  the  church  proclaiming  that  Gospel  to 
thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  among  them  who  not  long 
ago  lived  in  gross  darkness  and  ignorance. 

"  In  Namaqua  land  I  once  laboured  for  a  short  time  under 
the  noble  Africaner — a  land  which  has  been  occupied  by 
our  noble  German  brethren,  who  have  persevered  and  have 
won  its  people.  They  have  gone  even  beyond  :  they  have 
r^eached  the  Damara  country,  and  have  met  the  Portuguese 
on  the  West  Coast.  Thus  we  have  a  bright  prospect  in 
reference  to  the  whole  interior  of  Southern  Africa.  I  ex- 
pect by-and-by  to  hear  that  the  bouTidaries  of  the  colony 
will  be  extended  to  the  Kuruman,  and  ere  long  the  young 
people  of  to-day  will  see  those  boundaries  extending  to  the 
Zambesi.  And  so  it  will  go  on  and  on,  until  from  South 
Africa  we  meet  those  missionaries  who  are  now  enterino:  the 


:22  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


East  Coast,  and  are  making  their  way  to  the  shores  of  the 
great  lakes. 

"We  have  good  news  to  encourage  us  this  day.  Think 
only  of  the  translations  of  the  Scriptures — think  only  of  the 
Press — by  means  of  which  they  are  now  able  to  read  the 
Word  of  God  in  their  own  country  and  in  their  own  tongue. 
In  the  early  years  of  my  labour  there  was  not  one  person  who 
could  read  ;  yet  now,  as  I  say,  a  multitude  of  them  can  read 
in  their  own  language.  For  instance,  there  are  the  Bechuanas, 
an  extensive  tribe.  Thousands  of  men,  women,  and  children 
among  them  are  now  reading  the  Scriptures  and  books  in  their 
own  tongues.  I  know  that  for  years  no  one  among  them  could 
be  made  to  comprehend  that  a  book  or  a  paper  could  speak  ! 
The  Gospel  and  Christian  missions  have  done  it  all 

"  Look  again  at  the  advance  that  has  been  made  in  their 
social  position.  I  have  seen  men  returned  from  the  battle ; 
men  once  glorying  in  the  number  they  have  slain — I  have 
such  men  now  in  my  mind's  eye — standing  up,  taking  the 
Word  of  God,  giving  out  a  text  or  reading  a  portion  of 
Scripture,  and  proclaiming  to  their  fellow-men,  '  Peace  on 
earth  and  goodwill  to  man.'  I  have  known  the  wonderful 
influence  of  the  Gospel  even  upon  heathen  minds. 

"  Bad  as  the  African  mind  is  represented  to  be,  it  is  strong 
to  see  and  apt  to  appreciate  the  principles  of  the  Gospel, 
and  to  love  those  principles  of  peace  which  are  commended 
in  the  Gospel.  I  remember  an  individual,  the  chief  of  a 
tribe,  who  was  invited  to  come  to  us,  but  he  declined  to 
receive  the  Gospel.  Tliat  man  lieard  that  others  Avere  con- 
cocting war  after  years  had  rolled  by,  when  the  chiefs  had 
agreed  to  bury  their  spears,  and  that  there  should  be  no 
more  fighting.  Well,  this  chief  heard  that  some  of  the 
other  chiefs  were  concocting  war  in  his  neighbourhood,  and 
contemplating  war  upon  another  chief  who  thought  Inmself 
the  greatest.  Time  rolled  on  ;  the  reports  of  impending  war 
increased  ;  the  prospect  seemed  to  grow  darker. 


FRUITFUL  AND  HONOURABLE  AGE.       223 

"  He  called  them  to  a  feast ;  and  the  Bechuanas  are 
always  ready  for  a  feast  whatever  else  they  dislike.  He 
called  them  to  a  parliament,  or  pitcho,  to  which  they  attach 
great  importance.  They  went  to  the  assembly,  which  was 
bristling  with  spears,  for  every  one  at  least  had  a  spear,  or 
axe,  or  shield.  He  stood  in  their  midst ;  he  stretched  out 
his  hand  to  them  :  '  Hear !  0  ye  nobles  of  the  people,  ye 
leaders  of  the  nation,  I  address  myself  to  you.  Hearken, 
for  I  have  something  to  say — something  that  is  good  for  you 
as  it  is  good  for  me.'  They  all  listened.  'I  hear  you  are 
going  to  war.'  Now  the  speaker  was  an  unconverted  man, 
a  pure  heathen,  but  he  had  witnessed  the  influence  of  the 
Gospel  among  the  people,  and  admired  what  the  Gospel  had 
done.  He  admired  the  principles  of  love  that  existed  there 
and  that  were  promoted  among  his  people.  He  said  :  '  You 
are  going  to  war;  allow  me  to  ask  you,  What  is  war"?  I 
am  a  man  of  war.  I  have  shaken  my  spear  in  the  face  of 
my  enemies ;  I  have  driven  them  away  with  the  sound  of 
my  shield.  You  have  done  it.  But  let  me  hear,  AVhat  is 
warT  All  were  silent.  'Allow  me  to  tell  you  what  war 
cannot  do.' 

" '  In  going  to  war  we  attempt  to  accomplish  some  end. 
Now  I  will  tell  you  what  war  cannot  do,  and  what  war  has 
done,  and  I  will  tell  you  what  war  will  do.  Hearken  unto 
me,  O  ye  rulers  of  the  people,  ye  wise  ones  that  teach 
knowledge !  War  cultivates  no  fields  ;  it  plants  no  gardens. 
War  raises  no  families  and  builds  no  houses.  What  is 
war  ■?  Will  you  know  what  war  has  done  %  Go  to  the  fields 
where  the  strife  of  battle  has  raged,  where  some  of  you 
have  shed  your  blood,  and  caused  the  blood  of  others  to  be 
shed.  Go ;  look  at  the  people  who  have  been  enslaved,  and 
ask  them,  What  are  you  doing  here  ?  They  will  reply, 
War  sent  us  down  here  Go  to  the  widows ;  ask  the 
widow,  Why  do  you  yet  mourn  1  The  widow  will  answer, 
War  devoured  my  husband,  and  I  am  alone.     Go  to  the 


224  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

fatherless,  and  they  will  tell  you,  I  had  a  father,  but  war 
ate  him  up.  And  to  go  into  war — is  this  the  result  of  all 
the  joy  that  we  have  felt  during  the  peace  that  has  been 
wrought  among  us  by  men  from  far  countries '?  Has  it 
come  to  this,  that  we  have  danced,  and  our  wives  and  our 
daughters  and  our  children  have  danced  too — when  we 
fear  no  evil,  and  raise  our  head  in  the  morning  without 
hearing  the  sound  of  war  or  the  roar  of  battle  on  the  plain — 
is  this  the  result,  that  now  we  are  going  to  resume  it  ?  Are 
we  going  to  unearth  the  spear  ? '  One  rose  in  the  middle  of 
the  company  and  said  :  '  No,  no  ;  let  spears  be  burned.  Let 
there  be  no  more  war.  Let  us  return  to  our  own  homes, 
and  let  us  rejoice  still  in  the  peace  that  we  had  enjoyed 
before.'  Alas  !  my  dear  friends,  at  the  present  moment  a 
dark  cloud  is  passing  over  these  very  nations.  The  demon 
of  war  has  spread  over  Kaffirland  and  into  the  Bechuana 
country ;  the  tribes  are  arrayed  in  opposition ;  volunteers 
have  gone  out,  and  they  are  joined  by  others  ;  and  there  is 
war.  The  tribes  are  being  scattered,  and  I  mourn.  1  would 
that  I  were  there,  for  I  know  that  there  must  be  much 
affliction,  much  sorrow.  I  do  not  blame  the  Government  or 
the  nation.  Both  are  to  blame  in  concocting,  at  least  in 
increasing,  the  spirit  of  war.  But  still,  let  God  be  praised, 
the  work  is  going  forward  and  increasing;  this  light  afflic- 
tion is  for  a  short  time.  We  shall  see  brightness  in  the 
days  to  come." 

Towards  the  close  of  the  year  1878  the  veteran  mis- 
sionary was  presented  with  the  freedom  and  livery  of  the 
Turners'  Company  of  London,  at  the  Mansion  House.  In 
acknowledging  the  compliment,  he  gave  an  interesting 
sketch  of  his  labours  among  the  Bechuanas  since  1816, 
when  he  laid  himself  on  the  missionary  altar.  When  he 
first  set  foot  in  Africa,  he  said,  they  had  no  missionaries 
beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  towns,  but  since  then  they 
had  not  only  gone  beyond  the.  colony,  but  were  to  be  found 


FRUITFUL  AND  HONOURABLE  AGE.       225 


in  the  whole  length  and  breadth  of  Africa.  It  was  no  longer 
true  that,  as  had  been  written  by  Swift — 

**  Geographers  in  Afric's  maps 
Put  savage  beasts  to  fill  up  gaps, 
And  o'er  inhabitable  downs 
Put  elephants  for  want  of  towns." 

Now  their  missionaries  were  pressing  forward  among  the 
Bechuanas,  Zulus,  and  other  tribes,  and  they  had  no  fewer 
than  forty  thousand  members  of  Christian  churches.  Their 
missionaries  were  now  labouring  seven  hundred  miles 
beyond  where  the  work  first  commenced  among  the 
Bechuanas. 

One  of  the  latest  public  recognitions  of  the  work  of  this 
honoured  servant  of  God  was  of  an  unusual  kind.  Civic 
banquets  are  often  given  in  honour  of  statesmen  and 
warriors,  and  merchant  princes,  and  men  of  literature  and 
science,  but  it  is  not  often  that  we  hear  of  one  being  given 
to  a  missionary  of  the  Cross.  All  honour  to  the  man  who 
had  the  Christian  consistency  and  courage  to  make  in  this 
matter  a  new  departure.  On  Saturday,  7th  May  1881,  the 
Lord  Mayor  of  London,  the  Right  Hon.  William  M'Arthur, 
M.P.,  gave  a  banquet  to  the  distinguished  South  African 
missionary,  and  as  might  have  been  expected,  a  most 
enthusiastic  reception  was  accorded  to  him  by  the  company, 
which  included  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  the  Earl  of 
Shaftesbury,  and  the  leading  representatives  of  the  Christian 
churches  of  the  country. 

During  the  earlier  years  after  his  return  home,  Dr.  Moffat 
was  a  frequent  attendant  and  speaker  at  public  meetings, 
but  latterly  his  public  appearances  have  been  more  seldom, 
and  even  when  present  he  often  takes  no  part.  His  mere 
presence,  however,  is  always  enough  to  awaken  the  enthu- 
siasm of  the  audience.  We  must  not  forget  to  mention  that 
some  years  ago  the  University  of  Edinburgh  conferred  upon 
him  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity. 

15 


226  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D,D. 

In  addition  to  his  advocacy  of  the  mission  cause  in  the 
pulpit  and  on  the  platform,  Dr.  Moffat  has  written  some 
interesting  papers  on  the  subject  for  the  periodical  press. 
Extracts  from  one  or  two  of  these  will  prove  interesting  to 
our  readers.  In  an  article  in  Sundixy  at  Home,  on  his 
African  recollections,  he  thus  writes  of  Bechuana  hymns 
and  music : — "  In  the  early  years,  when  a  few  began  to 
appreciate  instruction  and  attend  Divine  service,  it  was 
some  time  before  they,  especially  in  the  outlying  villages, 
could  be  taught  to  sing.  It  was  known  that  we  sang  hymns 
at  the  chief,  and  then  the  only,  missionary  station,  and  when 
I  have  had  occasion  to  visit  these  villages  for  the  purpose  of 
introducing  the  knowledge  of  the  Saviour,  nothing  would 
satisfy  them  but  that  they  too  must  sing.  I  shall  never 
forget  the  jumble  of  voices.  It  was  in  vain  to  tell  them 
that  they  must  first  be  exercised  before  they  could  join  in 
music  which  spoke  of  the  God  that  rules  on  high,  and  their 
condition  as  sinners,  and  God's  love  to  them.  It  required 
line  upon  line  to  make  them  understand  this,  but  they 
could  understand  making  a  noise  with  the  voice ;  and  they 
thought,  from  what  they  had  heard  occasionally  with  their 
own  ears,  that  there  really  was  something  uncommonly 
sweet  in  our  music.  There  was  no  alternative  but  to 
yield,  and  of  course  I  would  select  the  Old  Hundredth  or 
some  very  plain  tune — but  oh  !  the  jargon  of  voices.  When 
I  rose  they  sank,  and  when  I  was  slow  they  were  fast. 
This  would  as^ain  and  a2;ain  throw  the  leader  off  the  rail. 

"  It  was  in  vain  to  tell  them  that  they  could  not  be  taught 
to  sing  properly  till  they  were  first  taught  to  know  the 
hymns.  I  have  sometimes,  after  much  toil,  taught  them  the 
verse  of  a  hymn,  and  kept  to  one  tune  in  order  to  prevent 
perfect  confusion,  when  all  the  notes  of  the  gamut  might  be 
heard  at  once.  When  I  had  a  wish  to  introduce  a  new 
tune  at  our  new  station,  where  the  same  tunes  were  commonly 
sung,  I  found  it  necessary  to  drill  a  few  till  I  got  them  so 


FRUITFUL  AND  HONOURABLE  AGE.       227 

far  advanced  that  I  could  depend  on  them  to  aid  me  in 
public  when  a  new  tune  was  introduced.  I  selected  six 
girls,  and  having  tuned  up  an  old  violin,  of  which  I  knew 
something,  I  played  and  sung,  in  which  they  followed  till 
they  became  familiar.  The  first  tunes  taught  were  'Ye 
Banks  and  Braes,'  and  *  Auld  Lang  Syne, ' 

"  Singing  is  now  become  very  general,  so  that  there  are  few 
at  our  principal  mission  stations  and  outlying  villages  who 
cannot  sing.  The  people  in  general  began  to  give  a  decided 
preference  to  sacred  music  over  the  hoarse  war  song,  or 
monotonous  repetition  of  a  few  notes,  accompanied  with  the 
females  clapping  the  hands,  while  the  men  kept  time  by 
striking  the  ground  with  their  feet,  producing  a  hollow 
sound  like  distant  thunder.  Accustomed  to  music  so  utterly 
wanting  in  symphony,  it  required  patience  to  get  them 
into  the  habit  of  modulating  their  voices  to  sacred  song. 
Now,  however  small  the  village  may  be  where  the  Gospel  is 
preached,  there  is  no  difficulty  in  finding  one  to  lead  the 
singing,  and  although  in  many  instances  it  is  not  so  euphonious 
as  it  ought  to  be,  it  is  an  improvement  on  the  past. 

*'  In  the  interior,  where  there  are  many  scattered  villages, 
it  is  an  important  part  of  the  missionary's  work  to  itinerate, 
paying  occasional  visits  to  the  more  distant  portions  of  his 
parish.  On  occasions  like  these  it  happens  that  there  are 
couples  who  are  waiting  to  be  joined  in  matrimony,  and 
whose  names  have  been  '  hung  up,'  as  the  natives  express 
the  publishing  of  banns.  No  one  in  that  country  thinks  of 
remaining  unmarried.  The  ceremony  is  generally  performed 
after  a  week-day's  service,  when,  instead  of  the  heathen 
dress,  with  bodies  lubricated  with  red  ochre  and  grease,  and 
heads  anointed  with  a  mixture  of  a  black  shining  substance 
with  butter,  they  dress  after  the  European  fashion,  with 
their  very  best,  for  the  occasion ;  and  if  they  have  not 
enough  suitable  clothing  they  borrow  from  their  neighbours. 
The  groomsman  and  bridesmaid  are  not  wanting. 


228  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

"  The  ceremony  is  performed  generally  in  the  public  fold 
in  the  middle  of  the  village,  no  house  being  large  enough, 
as  many  at  that  season  come  from  a  distance  to  see  and  to 
come  in  for  a  share  of  the  feast.  The  ceremony  over,  they 
retire  to  eat  a  simple  but  abundant  fare.  There  is  no 
dancing,  whether  members  or  no  members,  but  the  time  is 
passed  in  singing ;  and  they  do  sing,  possessing  a  wonderful 
facility  in  taking  the  different  parts.  Every  hymn-book  is 
in  requisition,  and  not  a  tune  of  which  they  know  anything 
is  untried.  Nearly  the  whole  range  of  the  hymn-book  is 
gone  over,  while  favourites  are  sung  over  and  over  again. 
The  missionary's  waggon,  which  is  his  castle  and  bed-room, 
stands  generally  not  far  from  the  scene,  and  not  unfre- 
quently  repose  and  sleep  are  needed  after,  it  may  be,  miles 
of  walking,  visiting  the  outlying  abodes  of  those  who  may 
be  unable  to  attend  the  services  of  the  day.  While  wishing 
that  sometimes  their  music  were  behind  a  hill,  or  at  some 
distance,  he  cannot  find  it  in  his  heart  to  tell  them  to  desist 
when  they  seem  so  happy." 

Writing  of  the  beneficial  efiects  of  hymns — the  strength, 
and  comfort,  and  joy  imparted  by  them — Moffat  goes  on  to 
say  : — "  In  many  more  instances  than  I  can  at  present  call 
to  mind,  I  have  witnessed  the  importance  of  hymnology 
during  the  introduction  of  the  Gospel  among  what  may 
justly  be  called  savage  races.  This  has  been  witnessed  not 
only  in  public  worship,  but  in  places  all  solitary,  where  the 
dolorous  bowlings  of  the  hyena  have  mingled  with  the 
sacred  song  of  evening  praise ;  aye,  and  while  the  voice  of 
praise  has  been  ascending  to  heav^en  after  the  weary  day's 
travel,  the  lion's  roar  has  been  heard  at  no  great  distance. 
Travellers  on  errands  of  friendship,  or  trade,  or  hunting,  very 
frequently  spend  their  evenings,  and  often  beyond  the  mid- 
night hour,  hymning  the  love  of  God  to  man.  Many  nights 
have  I  passed  among  such  companions  far  away  in  the  desert, 
listening  to  the  theme  which  will  be  our  song  in  heaven. 


FRUITFUL  AND  HONOURABLE  AGE.       229 


"In  the  evening  sacrifice  of  praise  around  the  family 
altar  sacred  song  frequently  bears  a  most  important  part, 
and  I  have  listened  with  inexpressible  delight  to  the  sweet 
melody  of  sacred  music  poured  forth  from  an  enlightened 
family  while  worshipping  God  before  retiring  to  rest.  In 
the  solitary  home  where  affliction  has  entered  I  have  heard 
the  hymns  of  praise,  resignation,  and  joy  coming  from  the 
dying  lips  of  those  who  were  wont  to  revel  till  past  mid- 
night in  music  all  meaningless.  Music  such  as  I  have  heard 
hundreds  of  times  among  the  Southern  tribes  is  monotonous 
in  the  extreme,  but  they  like  it.  For  instance,  on  one  of 
my  journeys  into  the  interior  I  halted  at  a  heathen  village, 
the  chief  of  which  was  very  ill.  On  going  to  see  him^  I 
found  a  number  of  young  people  dancing  and  singing  before 
the  door  of  their  dying  chieftain,  to  whom  I  remarked  that 
I  feared  the  noise  they  made  would  do  him  harm.  '  He 
likes  it,'  was  the  prompt  reply.  The  prostrate  dying  heathen 
liked  the  familiar  sounds  of  his  earliest  years. 

"  How  different  the  experience  of  such  a  one  to  that  of  a 
sinner  I  knew  of  no  ordinary  character.  Notable  in  her 
heathenish  state  for  determined  hostility  to  the  Gospel  and 
every  kind  of  instruction,  possessing  an  uncommon  measure 
of  energy  which  she  exercised  as  far  as  she  dared  in  perse- 
cuting those  over  whom  she  had  any  authority,  in  the 
midst  of  her  violent  opposition  she  was  arrested  by  the  Word 
of  God.  Her  daughter  was  a  believer,  as  a  member  of  a 
piiristian  church  is  called  among  the  Bechuanas,  and  not 
unfrequently  came  in  for  a  share  of  the  old  woman's  wrath, 
who  would  sometimes  drive  her  out  of  the  house  when  she 
would  read  or  pray.  She  kept  a  watchful  eye  over  her 
grand-daughter,  whom  she  ardently  loved;  but  resolved  that 
she  should  never  enter  into  a  school  or  place  of  worship. 
On  one  Lord's-day  morning,  during  the  absence  of  the 
grandmother,  the  mother  naturally  took  the  child  with  her 
to  church.     Just  after  the  introductory  part  of  the  service 


230  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

was  over,  and  the  preacher  had  selected  his  text,  the  furious 
woman  rushed  in  in  search  of  the  child.  Observing  where 
she  happened  to  be,  near  the  door,  she  pounced  upon  the 
girl,  but  while  stooping  to  lay  hold  of  her,  the  women  near 
seized  her  and  held  her  down. 

"  After  a  short  pause  the  preacher  resumed.  The  woman 
listened  to  two  or  three  sentences  of  the  discourse,  and  then 
became  quite  calm.  Those  that  held  her  loosed  their  hold, 
when,  escaping  from  the  place  of  worship  into  which  she 
had  rushed  in  a  rage  to  drag  away  her  grandchild,  she 
hastened  to  her  home.  In  the  course  of  an  hour  she  was 
found  on  her  knees,  and  with  tears  streaming  down  her 
wrinkled  cheeks,  imploring  Jesus  to  have  mercy  on  her. 
She  lived  for  years  to  testify  to  the  power  of  the  Gospel  by 
a  consistent  and  holy  life,  ever  zealous  for  all  that  had  a 
reference  to  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  On  her  deathbed  her 
attendants  wondered  over  her  eloquence,  and  when  she 
could  no  longer  move  her  head  or  hands,  she  could  move  her 
tongue  in  singing  and  solacing  her  dying  hours  with  the 
hymns  she  had  committed  to  memory,  and  which  had  often 
been  her  songs  in  the  night. 

"  One  incident  more.  There  was  a  young  man  amongst 
those  engaged  to  accompany  the  missionaries  from  the 
Kuruman  to  the  Matabele,  under  the  chief  Moselekatse. 
He  had  for  some  time  been  one  of  the  inquirers,  and  would 
soon  have  been  received  into  church-fellowship.  He  was 
clever  and  intelligent.  After  some  months  our  camp  was 
visited  by  the  well-known  African  fever.  Everything  ^^'as 
done  that  our  knowledge  and  experience  could  suggest.  It 
was  not  very  long  that  through  the  means  used  most  of  them 
were  recovering.  Marilole,  the  young  man,  had  a  second 
relapse,  arising  entirely  from  want  of  attending  to  regimen 
prescribed.  Instead  of  taking  spare  and  light  diet,  he 
eagerly,  unknown  to  me,  satiated  his  growing  appetite  with 
beef  and  boiled  millet.     Everything  tried  to  reduce  fever 


' 


FRUITFUL  AND  HONOURABLE  AGE.       231 

failed.  He  became  insensible  to  all  around  him,  and  to 
every  entreaty  to  take  something  which  might  again  do  him 
good.  He  lay  for  two  days  motionless  in  a  comatose 
condition,  from  which  no  effort  could  arouse  him.  On  the 
evening  of  the  second  day  I  was  at  work  repairing  my 
waggon,  about  thirty  yards  from  the  house  in  which  the  sick 
man  lay.  I  heard  some  one  singing  with  a  strong,  clear  voice. 
Inquiring  who  was  singing  to  the  sick  man  :  '  It  is  himself,' 
was  the  reply.  I  hastened  to  the  spot,  and  found  it  even  so. 
He  was  lying  as  I  had  left  him  an  hour  before,  but  with  a 
firm  voice  he  was  still  singing  one  of  our  hymns^  which  em- 
bodied some  of  the  striking  parts  of  the  eighty-fourth  Psalm. 
When  I  entered  and  knelt  down  beside  him  he  was  singing 
the  last  verse,  to  which  I  listened  with  inexpressible  feelings 
of  gratitude,  presuming  that  there  was  a  change  for  the 
best.  I  addressed  him  ;  he  was  deaf.  I  tried  to  arouse 
him  ;  it  was  in  vain.  I  felt  his  pulse ;  it  was  performing 
its  last  beats ; — and  while  I  was  looking  at  his  motionless 
lips,  his  spirit  departed  to  that  heavenly  Zion  about  which 
he  had  just  been  singing.  Thus  died  the  young  convert 
Marilole." 

In  a  very  interesting  paper  contributed  to  the  Sunday 
Magazine,  our  missionary  gives  some  valuable  information 
as  to  the  civilising  effects  of  his  labours  among  the  African 
race.  "  Christianity,''*  he  says,  "  brought  with  it  civilisation, 
for  those  who  embraced  the  new  religion  were  at  once  seized 
'with  the  desire  to  reform  their  personal  habits  and  social 
usages.  Cleanliness  began  to  be  practised,  and  instead  of 
besmearing  themselves  with  grease  they  washed  themselves 
with  water.  Ornaments  which  were  formerly  in  high  repute 
as  adorning,  but  more  frequently  disfiguring,  their  persons, 
were  now  turned  into  bullion  to  purchase  skins  of  animals, 
which,  being  prepared  almost  as  soft  as  cloth,  were  made 
into  jackets,  trousers,  and  gowns.  For  a  long  period,  when 
a  man  was  seen  to  make  a  pair  of  trousers  for  himself,  or  a 


232  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

woman  a  gown,  it  was  a  sure  intimation  that  we  might 
expect  additions  to  our  inquirers.  Abandoning  the  custom 
of  painting  the  body,  and  beginning  to  wash  with  water, 
was  with  them  what  cutting  off  the  hair  was  among  the 
South  Sea  Islanders — a  public  renunciation  of  heathenism. 

"  Thus,  by  the  slow  but  certain  progress  of  Gospel  prin- 
ciples, whole  families  became  clothed  and  in  their  right 
mind.  In  their  eagerness  for  improvement  the  people  some- 
times arrayed  themselves  in  grotesque  garbs.  One  would 
have  on  a  coat  of  many  colours ;  another  would  wear  a 
jacket  with  only  one  sleeve,  because  the  other  was  not 
finished,  or  cloth  was  wanting  to  complete  it.  The  people 
were  now  anxious  to  learn  how  to  use  the  needle,  and  to 
make  garments ;  and  at  first  it  was  no  easy  matter  for  them 
to  do  this,  as  the  hands  of  many  were  hard  and  horny  from 
field  work,  and  the  tiny  needle  was  scarcely  perceptible  to 
their  touch.  Our  congregations  became  a  variegated  mass 
of  people  of  all  descriptions,  from  the  lubricated  wild  man 
of  the  desert  to  the  clean,  comfortable,  and  well-dressed 
believer.  It  was  the  work  of  the  men  to  sew  and  prepare 
garments.  I  never  saw  a  woman  with  a  needle,  or  rather 
bodkin,  with  which  the  men  sew  with  great  neatness  and 
skill. 

"  Then  came  the  desire  for  improvement  in  their  house- 
holds. Formerly  they  had  been  contented  with  sitting 
on  the  floors  of  their  huts,  eating  their  food  by  the  light  of 
flickering  wood  embers,  and  lying  down  to  sleep  wrapped  in 
their  mantles  which  they  had  worn  during  the  day ;  but 
now  they  Mdshed  to  have,  like  ourselves,  chairs,  tables, 
chests,  candles,  and  other  articles  contributing  to  the  com- 
fort of  a  house.  These  they  came  to  make  under  our 
direction,  though  of  course  very  clumsily  at  first.  It  is 
singular,  hov/ever,  what  rapid  progress  in  the  arts  of  civilised 
life  a  people  will  make  when  once  the  desire  for  reformation 
has  taken  thorough  possession  of  them. 


FRUITFUL  AND  HONOURABLE  A.GE.       233 


"The  Bechuanas  were  like  men  waking  up  from  a  long 
sleep  and  anxious  to  redeem  the  time  they  had  lost.  They 
began  to  take  great  interest  in  field  and  garden  labour.  In 
place  of  restricting  themselves  to  their  native  grain  and  a 
few  vegetables,  such  as  pumpkins,  kidney-beans,  and  water- 
melons, they  thankfully  accepted  the  seeds  and  plants  of 
grains  and  vegetables  we  had  introduced — namely,  of  maize, 
wheat,  barley,  peas,  potatoes,  carrots,  and  onions,  and 
planted  fruit-trees  wherever  they  could  irrigate.  There 
was  also  a  demand  for  ploughs,  and  spades  for  the  proper 
tilling  of  the  soil,  and  also  for  bullock-waggons.  The  men 
were  no  longer  too  proud  to  put  their  hands  to  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  ground,  but  set  to  work  with  a  will,  and  in  a 
few  years  the  country  all  around  was  smiling  with  fertility. 

*'  A  considerable  trade  has  sprung  up  between  these  tribes 
and  Europeans  from  the  Cape  Colony,  and  foreign  manufac- 
tured goods  of  the  value  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
pounds  are  annually  imported  into  the  country  and  exchanged 
for  native  produce.  There  was  no  commerce  or  barter  carried 
on  between  Europeans  and  the  Bechuana  tribes  at  the  com- 
mencement of  missions  among  them,  nor  could  they  be 
induced  to  trade  till,  through  the  Divine  blessing,  converts 
were  made.  These  were  the  first  to  adopt  a  European 
dress.  During  the  previous  years  traders  came  as  far  as 
the  Kuruman  mission  station,  bringing  all  kinds  of  tempting 
articles,  which  they  displayed  before  the  natives,  who  could 
•not  be  made  to  see  either  comfort  or  beauty  in  them. 
These  men,  who  had  hoped  to  realise  a  profit  by  ostrich 
feathers,  ivory,  cattle,  and  other  things,  could  only  dispose 
of  a  few  pounds  of  beads,  and  returned  some  hundreds  of 
miles  sadly  mortified.  The  example  set  by  our  first  converts 
approved  itself  to  others,  and  it  being  entirely  out  of  our 
power  to  supply  them  with  what  was  required,  having  but 
a  scanty  supply  for  our  own  wants,  they  were  instructed  to 
make  dresses  from  skins  prepared  for  the  purpose,  and  in 


234  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

which  they  rnade  a  very  respectable  appearance.  It  was 
soon  found  necessary  to  apply  for  a  merchant  to  come  and 
settle  on  the  station. 

"  Now  that  we  can  look  to  the  number  and  extent  of  mis- 
sionary stations,  and  missionaries  of  other  societies  as  well 
as  of  our  own,  which  occupy  a  vast  extent  of  country,  and 
the  number  which  have  been  gathered  into  the  fold  of  the 
Redeemer,  we  may  well  say,  What  has  God  wrought  %  The 
Scriptures  are  translated  into  several  languages,  and  are 
read  by  thousands,  and  institutions  are  raised  for  edu- 
cating a  native  ministry,  some  of  whom  have  gone  forth  and 
are  proclaiming  the  everlasting  Gospel  to  their  own  country- 
men. Little  more  than  fifty  years  ago  there  were  only  a 
small  mission  station  in  Namaqua  land,  and  another  at 
Griqua  Town.  These  were  all  beyond  the  Colony  except  the 
Kuruman,  still  in  an  embryo  state.  Now,  missionaries  from 
half-a-dozen  societies  occupy  stations  from  beyond  Natal 
on  the  east  to  the  Damaras  on  the  west,  and  among  their 
churches  forty  thousand  church  members  are  the  fruits  of 
missionary  enterprise.  If  every  one  bearing  the  Christian 
name,  and  hoping  to  be  saved  through  Him  who  tasted 
death  for  every  man,  were  to  do  what  he  is  expected  to  do 
in  reference  to  every  creature  to  whom  He  commissioned 
His  disciples  to  go  to  tell  of  full  and  free  redemption,  we 
might  hope  that  two-thirds  of  the  world  would  be  reclaimed 
in  fifty  years  more." 

So  this  noble  man  continues  to  labour  still  m  the  cause  of 
his  Master,  bringing  forth  fruit  even  in  old  age,  proving 
that  the  Lord  is  faithful.  He  has  known  weary  wanderings 
in  the  desert,  when  his  tongue  w^as  so  parched  with  thirst 
as  to  be  almost  deprived  of  the  power  of  speech ;  he  has 
been  in  perils  from  savage  men  and  ferocious  beasts  of  the 
wilderness;  he  has  visited  and  conciliated  barbaric  kings, 
whose  rude  halls  were  hung  with  the  execrable  trophies  of 
cruel  and  exterminating  wars ;  he  has  oonfronted  and  over- 


FRUITFUL  AND  HONOURABLE  AGE.       235 


come  Herculean  difficulties  in  the  spirit  of  a  Christian 
heroism  loftier  than  that  which  animated  his  ancestors  on 
the  sanguinary  field  of  Bannockburn ;  and  he  has  witnessed 
transformations  of  character  and  social  life  more  wonderful 
than  the  most  daring  poetry  has  ever  imagined. 

Looking  back  from  the  height  of  his  numerous  years  on 
the  scenes  of  protracted  and  agonising  toil  and  sublime 
achievement,  still  glowing  with  the  missionary  ardour 
which,  in  the  beginning  of  his  course,  impelled  him  to 
dangers  and  hardships  amid  the  sterilities  of  IsTamaqua 
land,  and  having  before  his  eyes  visions  of  Africaner  and  a 
crowd  of  glorified  converts  from  Kuruman  beckoning  him 
to  eternal  blessedness,  he  is  worthy  of  the  golden  phrase 
which,  in  happy  parody  of  Milton,  tlie  E-ev.  W.  Arthur 
applied  to  him  on  a  great  public  occasion — "that  old 
man  magnificent." 

And  what  more  needs  to  be  said  1  Nothing ;  save  to 
express  the  hope  that  to  the  aged  servant  of  God  there  may 
yet  be  allotted  many  years  to  see  fruit  growing  up  from  the 
seed  which  he  himself  in  long  past  days  cheerfully  planted 
in  much  faith  and  hope.  Though  now  quietly  closing  his 
days  amid  the  beauties  of  his  Kentish  abode,  yet  he  is  the 
centre  of  the  missionary  history  of  South  Africa — the  con- 
necting link  between  its  various  apparently  disconnected 
parts  ;  and  when  science  and  trade  shall  have  carried  their 
lamps  through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  vast  continent, 
discovering  all  its  hidden  recesses  and  bringing  to  light  its 
buried  treasures,  they  will  yet  be  compelled  to  cast  a 
generous  and  grateful  glance  back  at  Robert  Moffat  as 
having  done  more  than  any  other  man  to  make  their  many 
triumphs  possible. 


Msi.#Ml 


Wm^^<wf- 


CHAPTER   XXYL 


ELEMENTS     OF     CHARACTER. 

IST  reviewing  the  life  we  have  sketched  in  this  volume 
we  are  struck  with  its  noble  character.  In  attempt- 
ing to  analyse  it,  its  most  important  and  peculiar 
elements  readily  appear.  It  may  be  observed  at 
the  outset  that  Moffat  has  been  a  man  of  grand  physique, 
noble  presence,  robust  intellect,  quick  perception,  sound 
judgment,  ready  and  eloquent  utterance.  His  very  appear- 
ance commanded  attention,  and  his  whole  bearing  shewed 
that  he  was  a  man  born  to  rule  men. 

One  of  the  most  distinguishable  features  in  Moffat's 
character  is  philanthrojjy^  or  the  love  of  man  as  man,  apart 
from  all  distinctions  of  race  and  nationality.  This  quality,  in 
combination  with  the  love  of  God,  lies  at  the  foundation  of 
all  true  and  noble  effort  for  the  reareneration  of  the  world. 
Philanthropy  in  its  truest  and  deepest  sense  came  into  the 
Avorld  with  Christianity.  It  w^as  unknown  until  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  taught  it  as  one  of  the  prominent  doctrines  of  His 
ministry,  and  illustrated  it  by  His  death.  The  parable  of 
the  Good  Samaritan,  as  it  was  the  first,  will  remain  through 
all  time  the  most  famous  discourse  on  true  philanthropy. 
Patriotism  was  expounded  and  enforced  by  the  sages  of 


ELEMENTS  OF  CHARACTER.  23^ 


ancient  heathenism.  Plato  lays  down  the  doctrine  that  we 
are  not  born  for  ourselves  alone,  but  that  "  our  native 
country,  our  friends  and  relations,  have  a  just  claim  and 
title  to  some  part  of  us."  Cicero,  in  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant of  all  his  works,  admirably  expounds  this  doctrine 
of  Plato  and  of  the  Stoics.  He  insists  that  "  whatsoever  is 
created  on  earth  was  merely  designed  for  the  service  of  man, 
and  men  themselves  for  the  service,  benefit,  and  assistance 
of  one  another.  In  this  we  certainly  ought  to  be  followers 
of  Nature,  and  second  her  intentions ;  and  by  doing  all  that 
lies  in  our  powder  for  the  general  interest,  by  mutual  acts  of 
kindness,  by  our  knowledge,  industry,  riches,  or  other  means, 
we  should  endeavour  to  keep  up  that  benevolence  and 
friendship  which  ought  to  subsist  among  men.  When  we 
have  gone  over  all  the  relations  in  the  world,  and  thoroughly 
considered  the  nature  of  each,  we  shall  find  none  more 
binding,  none  more  intimate  or  dear,  than  that  which  we 
all  bear  to  the  commonw^ealth.  We  have  a  tender  concern  y 
and  regard  for  our  parents,  for  our  children,  our  kindred, 
and  acquaintance,  but  the  love  which  we  have  for  our  native 
country  swallows  up  all  other  affections  whatsoever ;  for  his 
country  no  man  of  honour  would  refuse  to  die,  if  by  his 
death  he  could  do  it  any  needful  service.  Now,  if  there 
should  be  any  conflict  or  competition  between  these  rela- 
tions, which  of  them  ought  to  preponderated  Our  first 
regard  is  due  to  our  country  and  our  parents,  to  whom  we 
lie  under  the  most  endearing  obligation ;  the  next  to  our 
children  and  household,  who  look  up  to  us  alone,  and  have 
nobody  else  they  can  depend  upon ;  next  in  order  come  our 
kindred  and  relations,  whose  fortunes  are  generally  connected 
with  our  own." 

This  patriotism  of  the  heathen  is  a  poor,  selfish,  and 
narrow  affection  as  compared  with  the  philanthropy  of  the 
Gospel  of  Christ.  Moffat's  life  has  been  dominated  by  that 
philanthropy.     His  ruling  passion  is  the  love  of  man,  in  the 


238  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


largest  acceptance  of  the  term,  without  respect  to  colour, 
clime,  or  language.  It  comprehends  in  its  embrace  all  men, 
with  all  their  temporal  and  eternal  interests.  It  has  not 
been  a  mere  theory  with  him,  but  has  received  the  amplest 
and  most  varied  illustration  by  a  long  life  of  self-sacrifice 
and  devotion.  It  was  this  love  for  men  that  moved  him  to 
give  himself  to  the  mission  work  ;  it  was  this  that  sustained 
him  for  years  at  his  post  amid  the  most  discouraging  cir- 
cumstances and  conditions — his  labours  unsolicited,  his 
presence  unwelcome,  his  endeavours  to  benefit  the  natives 
thankless,  daily  liable  to  be  expelled,  and  in  constant  peril 
of  his  life.  In  this  unwearied  love  of  man  Moffat  has  fur- 
nished one  of  the  best  evidences  of  his  love  to  God.  Abou 
Ben  Adhem  saw  in  a  vision  (so  runs  the  Eastern  legend)  an 
angel  writing  in  a  book,  and  asked — 

" '  What  writest  thou  ? '     The  vision  raised  its  head, 
And,  with  a  look  made  of  all  sweet  accord, 
Answered,   '  The  name  of  those  who  love  the  Lord. ' 
'  And  is  mine  one  V  said  Abou.     '  Nay,  not  so,' 
Replied  the  angel.     Abou  spoke  more  low, 
But  cheerily  still,  and  said,   '  I  pray  thee,  then, 
"Write  me  as  one  that  loves  his  fellow-men. ' 
The  angel  wrote,  and  vanished.     The  next  night 
It  came  again  with  a  great  wakening  light, 
And  shewed  the  names  whom  love  of  God  hath  bless'd, 
And,  lo  !   Ben  Adhem's  name  led  all  the  rest." 

Courage  is  another  quality  of  tliis  man.  Emerson 
defines  courage  as  "  the  perfect  will,  which  no  terrors  can 
shake,  which  is  attracted  by  frowns  or  threats,  or  hostile 
armies ;  nay,  needs  these  to  awake  and  fan  its  reserved 
energies  into  a  pure  flame,  and  is  never  quite  itself  until  the 
hazard  is  extreme  ;  then  it  is  serene  and  fertile,  and  all  its 
powers  play  well."  This  definition  is  applicable  to  both 
physical  and  moral  courage.  "  Physical  courage,"  he  further 
remarks,  "  which  despises  all  danger,  will  make  a  man 
brave  in  one  way ;  and  moral  courage,  whicli  despises  all 


ELEMENTS  OF  CHARACTER,  ■  239 


opinion,  will  make  a  man  brave  in  another.  The  former 
would  seem  most  necessary  for  the  camp,  the  latter  for 
council;  but  to  constitute  a  great  man  both  are  necessary." 
We  see  both  combined  in  Joshua,  who  succeeded  Moses  as 
the  leader  of  the  children  of  Israel.  He  shrank  from  no 
command  of  God.  "With  a  true  heart  he  took  the  reins  of 
government.  He  led  the  tribes  across  Jordan,  and  went 
before  them  to  the  conquest  of  Canaan.  No  rumour  as  to 
the  number  or  strength  of  his  foes  alarmed  him.  He 
faithfully  administered  the  laws.  He  was  brave  in  counsel 
and  brave  in  fight,  and  thus  he  fulfilled  the  Divine  com- 
mand— *  Be  strong  and  of  a  good  courage ;  be  not  afraid, 
neither  be  thou  dismayed.' 

In  all  his  missionary  career  Moffat  displayed  this  courage. 
He  was  often  placed  in  circumstances  of  great  danger ;  his 
life  was  often  in  peril  from  wild  beasts,  and  sometimes  he 
was  threatened  with  destruction  by  savage  men.  In  carrying 
out  his  Christian  commission  he  went  into  inhospitable 
countries,  and  stood  before  cruel  and  despotic  monarchs, 
always  fearless  of  evil,  because  his  trust  was  in  the  Lord  his 
God.  Fearing  God,  he  felt  that  there  was  nothing  else  he  need 
fear.  If  he  had  to  encounter  a  difficulty  he  never  turned  aside 
from  it,  saying.  There  is  a  lion  in  the  path.  Having  resolved 
upon  mastering  it,  he  never  ceased  till  it  was  overcome,  and 
every  successive  triumph  inspired  him  with  that  confidence 
in  himself  and  that  habit  of  victory  which  make  all  other 
conquests  easy.  He  was  just  the  man  to  lead  the  enterprise 
which  reflects  such  glory  on  his  career. 

One  illustration  of  his  courage  may  be  given  in  his  own 
words.  It  relates  to  his  visit  to  Makaba,  the  chief  of  the 
Bauangketsi : — "  I  resolved  on  a  journey  which  I  had  been 
contemplating  for  some  months.  This  was  to  visit  Makaba, 
the  chief  of  the  Bauangketsi,  a  powerful  tribe  situated 
upwards  of  two  hundred  miles  north-east  of  Lithako.  I 
had  various  reasons  for  taking  this  step.     The  Batlapis  and 


240  LIFE  OF  BO  BERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


the  neighbouring  tribes  were  living  in  constant  dread  of  an 
attack  from  so  powerful  an  enemy,  of  whom  they  could  never 
speak  without  stigmatising  him  with  the  most  opprobrious 
epithets.  It  was  desirable  to  open  up  a  friendly  intercourse 
to  prevent  hostilities,  and  it  seemed  advisable  for  me  to 
attend  more  exclusively  to  the  acquirement  of  the  language 
by  associating  for  a  time  with  the  natives,  when  at  the  same 
time  an  opportunity  was  thus  afforded  for  becoming  better 
acquainted  with  the  localities  of  the  tribes  ;  and  in  addition 
to  these  objects  was  the  ultimate  design  of  introducing  the 
Gospel  among  that  interesting  people. 

"  About  this  time,  receiving  an  invitation  from  Makaba, 
the  path  of  duty  was  plain,  but  Mothibi,  and  indeed  all  the 
people,  were  greatly  opposed  to  my  design.  Everything 
injurious  to  the  character  of  the  Bauangketsi  was  raked  up 
and  placed  before  me.  All  the  imaginary  and  real  murders 
Makaba  had  ever  committed  were  set  in  array,  and  every  one 
swore  by  their  king  and  their  father  that  if  I  went  my  doom 
was  fixed,  for  I  should  never  return,  and  therefore  Ma-Mary 
and  the  two  children  might  leave  and  return  to  our  friends 
in  England,  for  she  would  never  see  me  again.  When  the 
day  arrived  for  my  departure,  Mothibi,  finding  he  could  not 
prevail  by  arguments,  positively  forbade  those  under  his 
control  to  accompany  me.  Feeling  no  inclination  to  give 
up  my  intention,  I  started  with  such  men  as  I  had.  On 
reaching  Old  Lithako,  on  the  third  day,  I  found  the  reports 
about  the  Mantatees  somewhat  revived,  and  the  natives 
strongly  advised  me  to  proceed  no  farther  than  Nokaneng, 
about  twenty  miles  distant.  The  reports  being  such  as  we 
had  heard  before,  and  knowing  that  they  wished  by  every 
means  to  intimidate  me,  I  proceeded  on  the  following  day, 
after  having  preached  to  a  great  number  of  the  natives.  On 
arriving  at  Nokaneng  I  found  that  rumours  had  reached 
that  place  that  the  Barolongs  at  Kunuana,  about  one 
hundred  miles  oft',  had  been  also  attacked,  and  the  towns 


ELEMENTS  OF  CHARACTER,  241 

were  in  the  hands  of  the  marauders ;  but  as  spies  had  been 
sent  out  to  ascertain  the  truth,  I  remained,  employing 
every  opportunity  afforded  to  impart  instruction.  The 
spies  returning  without  having  heard  anything  of  the 
reported  invaders,  I  proceeded  with  my  small  company 
towards  the  Bauangketsi  tribes." 

It  must  also  be  said  that  to  this  courage  we  must  add 
a  spirit  of  adventure.  Moffat  was  not  a  man  to  go  quietly 
along  in  a  dull  beaten  track.  Some  men  seem  to  have  no 
disposition,  no  power,  to  forsake  the  old  ruts,  but  his  soul 
was  always  reaching  forward  to  the  regions  beyond.  He 
had  no  wish  quietly  to  settle  down  in  the  midst  of  other 
men's  labours.  This  spirit  of  adventure  and  enterprise, 
sanctified  by  the  grace  of  God,  led  him  to  seek  out  new 
fields  of  toil — to  break  up  the  fallow  ground,  and  to  plant 
the  Gospel  where  hitherto  it  had  been  totally  unknown. 
The  same  spirit  moved  him  to  adopt  all  kinds  of  methods 
that  were  likely  to  be  successful  in  the  accomplishment  of 
his  sublime  purpose,  and  though  sometimes  great  and  trying 
obstacles  encompassed  his  path  and  obstructed  his  progress, 
yet  his  undaunted  soul  bore  him  through  a  multitude  of 
difficulties  which  would  have  deterred  most  men. 

Moffat's  career  also  illustrates  great  readiness  and  power 
of  adaiJtation  to  circimistaiices.  He  was  often  placed  in 
strange  and  novel  conditions  of  life.  Unexpected  demands 
were  frequently  made  upon  his  ingenuity  and  resources,  but 
he  was  always  found  sufficient  for  the  occasion.  He  could 
travel  for  weeks  in  an  African  waggon ;  when  he  had  not 
the  opportunity  of  riding  on  horseback  he  would  ride  on  the 
back  of  an  ox ;  he  could  sleep  in  a  native  hut  or  in  the 
open  air ;  he  could  subsist  for  months  on  flesh  and  milk — 
sometimes  he  only  had  one,  sometimes  the  other,  sometimes 
both.  While  he  always  maintained  a  proper  self-respect  as 
a  civilised  man  and  a  Christian,  yet  he  could  associate  on 
the  most  familiar  terms  with  the  rude  savages  around  him, 

16 


242  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

and  make  himself  quite  at  home  in  their  kraals  and  villages. 
Like  the  great  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  whom  in  so  many 
Uiings  he  so  closely  resembled,  he  became  all  things  to  all 
men,  hoping  thereby  to  save  some. 

He  had  a  distinct  and  comprehensive  view  of  his  ivork. 
lie  knew  that  his  great  mission  in  going  to  Africa  was  to 
save  souls;  yet  in  all  his  labours  among  the  African  race 
Moffat  cared  for  the  temporal  condition  of  the  people — 
sought  to  benefit  their  bodies  as  well  as  their  souls.  What 
his  illustrious  son-in-law,  Livingstone,  says  of  his  work,  may 
fitly  describe  that  of  Moffat  himself: — "After  family  wor- 
ship and  breakfast,  between  six  and  seven,  we  kept  school 
— men,  women,  and  children  being  all  invited.  This  lasted 
till  eleven  o'clock.  The  missionary's  wife  then  betook  her- 
self to  her  domestic  affairs,  and  the  missionary  engaged  in 
some  manual  labour,  as  that  of  a  smith,  carpenter,  or 
gardener.  If  he  did  jobs  for  the  people,  they  worked  for 
him  in  turn,  and  exchanged  their  unskilled  labour  for  his 
skilled.  Dinner  and  an  hour's  rest  succeeded,  v/hen  the 
wife  attended  her  infant-school,  which  the  young  liked 
amazingly,  and  generally  mustered  a  hundred  strong ;  or 
she  varied  it  with  sewing-classes  for  the  girls,  which  was 
equally  well  relished.  After  sunset  the  husband  went  into 
the  town  to  converse,  either  on  general  subjects  or  on 
religion.  We  had  a  public  service  on  three  nights  of  the 
week,  and  on  another,  instruction  in  secular  subjects,  aided 
by  pictures  and  specimens.  In  addition  to  these  duties,  we 
prescribed  for  the  sick  and  furnished  food  to  the  poor.  The 
smallest  acts  of  friendship,  even  an  obliging  word  and  civil 
look,  are,  as  St.  Xavier  thought,  no  despicable  part  of  the 
missionary  armour." 

He  never  lost  sight  of  the  fact  that  everything  he  did 
was  to  be  made  subservient  to  the  great  object  of  seeking  to 
save  the  souls  for  whom  Christ  had  died.  All  other  efforts 
and  aims  were   only  valuable   in  his   estimation  as  they 


ELEMENTS  OF  CHARACTER.  243 

proved  helpful  to  this.  He  saw  the  ruin  and  wretchedness 
into  which  sin  had  plunged  the  people,  and  he  desired  to 
lift  them  out  of  the  horrible  pit  and  the  miry  clay.  They 
were  in  the  prison-house  of  an  awful  and  degrading  bondage, 
and  he  would  fain  bring  them  out  into  the  large  liberty  of 
the  sons  of  God.  Hence  he  preached  to  them,  in  all  its 
fulness  and  power,  the  Gospel  of  salvation  through  Jesus 
Christ — declared  to  them  the  glad  tidings  that  "God  so  loved 
the  world  as  to  give  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever 
believeth  on  Him  might  not  perish  but  have  everlasting 
life." 

In  making  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  his  chief  business, 
and  the  salvation  of  souls  his  chief  end,  he  knew  that  he 
was  pursuing  the  best  course  for  the  attainment  of  all.  In 
this  respect  there  was  a  most  striking  agreement  between 
his  views  and  practice  and  the  views  and  practice  of  that 
other  celebrated  and  successful  missionary,  John  Williams 
of  Polynesia.  Speaking  of  his  labours  in  the  South  Sea 
Islands,  Mr.  Williams  says : — "  While  our  best  energies 
have  been  devoted  to  the  instruction  of  the  people  in  the 
truths  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  our  chief  solicitude  has 
been  to  make  them  wise  unto  salvation,  we  have  at  the  same 
time  been  anxious  to  impart  a  knowledge  of  all  that  was 
calculated  to  increase  their  comforts  and  elevate  their 
character.  And  I  am  convinced  that  the  first  step  towards 
the  promotion  of  a  nation's  temporal  and  social  elevation 
ig  to  plant  amongst  them  the  Tree  of  Life,  when  civilisation 
and  commerce  will  entwine  their  tendrils  around  its  trunk, 
and  derive  support  from  its  strength.  Until  the  people  are 
brought  under  the  influence  of  religion  they  have  no  desire 
for  the  arts  and  usages  of  civilised  life,  but  that  invnriably 
creates  it. 

"The  missionaries  were  at  Tahiti  many  years,  during 
which  they  built  and  furnished  a  house  in  European  style. 
The  natives  saw  this,  but  not  an  individual  imitated  their 


244  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

example.  As  soon,  however,  as  they  were  brought  under 
the  influence  of  Christianity,  the  chiefs,  and  even  the 
common  people,  began  to  build  neat  plastered  cottages,  and 
to  manufacture  bedsteads,  seats,  and  other  articles  of 
furniture.  The  females  had  long  observed  the  dress  of  the 
missionaries'  wives,  but  while  heathen  they  greatly  preferred 
their  own,  and  there  was  not  a  single  attempt  at  imitation. 
No  sooner,  however,  were  they  brought  under  the  influence 
of  religion,  than  all  of  them,  even  to  the  lowest,  aspired  to 
the  possession  of  a  gown,  a  bonnet,  and  a  shawl,  that  they 
might  appear  like  Christian  women.  I  could  proceed  to 
enumerate  many  other  changes  of  the  same  kind,  but  these 
will  be  sufficient  to  establish  my  assertion.  While  the 
natives  are  under  the  influence  of  their  superstitions,  they 
evince  an  inanity  and  torpor  from  which  no  stimulus  has 
proved  powerful  enough  to  arouse  them  but  the  new  ideas 
and  the  new  principles  imparted  by  Christianity.  And  if 
it  be  not  already  proved,  the  experience  of  a  few  more  years 
Avill  demonstrate  the  fact,  that  the  missionary  enterprise  is 
incomparably  the  most  effective  machinery  that  has  ever 
been  brought  to  operate  upon  the  social,  the  civil,  and  the 
commercial,  as  well  as  the  moral  and  spiritual,  interests  of 
mankind." 

Mechanical  ingenuity  has  been  a  striking  feature  in 
Moffat's  character.  Highly  endowed  with  the  faculty  of 
invention,  he  would  have  attained  distinction  had  he  devoted 
himself  to  the  improved  application  of  mechanic  powers. 
The  exercise  of  his  genius  in  this  direction  was  one  of  the 
sources  of  his  amazing  success  in  the  missionary  field.  His 
exhibitions  in  this  way  spoke  to  the  senses  of  the  savages, 
who  stood  in  dumb  amazement,  and,  when  regaining  speech, 
confessed  the  white  man's  superiority.  Of  course  in  the 
planting  and  training  of  trees  and  plants  he  was  quite  at 
home.  He  could  cultivate  and  irrigate  the  ground.  But 
he  soon  learnt  to  make  waggons,  and  tables,  and  chairs ;  to 


4    I 


iU 


ELEMENTS  OF  CHARACTER.  245 


forge  and  weld  iron,  and  make  implements  of  labour.  The 
account  he  gives  of  one  of  his  attempts  in  this  direction  may 
be  quoted  as  an  illustration.  He  sets  about  repairing  a 
waggon.  "After  ruminating,"  he  says,  "for  a  day  or  two 
on  what  I  had  seen  in  the  smith's  shop  in  Cape  Town,  I 
resolved  on  making  a  trial,  and  got  a  native  bellows  made 
of  goat's  skin,  to  the  neck  of  which  was  attached  the  horn 
of  an  elk,  and  at  the  other  end  two  parallel  sticks  were 
fastened,  which  were  opened  by  the  hand  in  drawing  it 
back  and  closed  when  pressed  forward,  but  making  a 
puffing  like  something  broken-winded.  The  iron  was  only 
red-hot  after  a  good  perspiration,  when  I  found  I  must  give 
it  up  as  a  bad  job,  observing  to  the  chief,  if  I  must  accom- 
pany him  it  must  be  on  the  back  of  an  ox. 

"  Reflecting  again  on  the  importance  of  having  a  waggon 
for  the  purpose  of  carrying  food,  when  game  happened  to  be 
killed  (for  our  sole  dependence  was  on  the  success  of  hunting), 
and  Africaner  evidently  not  liking,  on  my  account,  to  go 
without  a  waggon,  I  set  my  brains  again  to  work  to  try  and 
improve  on  the  bellows,  for  it  was  wind  I  wanted.  Though 
I  had  never  welded  a  bit  of  iron  in  my  life,  there  was 
nothing  like  trying.  T  engaged  the  chief  to  have  two  goats 
killed,  the  largest  on  the  station,  and  their  skins  prepared 
entire,  in  the  native  way,  till  they  were  as  soft  as  cloth. 
These  skins  now  resembled  bags,  the  open  ends  of  which  I 
nailed  to  the  edge  of  a  circular  piece  of  board,  in  which  was 
3<  valve.  One  end  of  the  machine  was  connected  with  the 
fire,  and  had  a  weight  on  it  to  force  out  the  wind,  when  the 
other  end  was  drawn  out  to  supply  more  air.  This  apparatus 
was  no  sooner  completed  than  it  was  put  to  the  test,  and 
the  result  answered  satisfactorily  in  a  steady  current  of 
air ;  and  soon  I  had  all  the  people  around  me  to  witness 
my  operations  with  the  newfangled  bellows.  Here  I  sat 
receiving  their  praises,  but  heartily  wishing  their  departure, 
lest  they  should  laugh  at  my  burning  the  first  bit  of  iron  I 


246  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D, 


took  in  my  hands  to  weld,  A  blue  granite-stone  was  my 
anvil,  a  clumsy  pair  of  tongs,  indicative  of  Vulcan's  first 
efforts,  and  a  hammer  never  intended  for  the  work  of  a 
forge. 

"  My  first  essay  was  with  some  trepidation,  for  I  did  not 
like  so  many  lookers-on.  Success,  however,  crowned  my 
efibrts,  to  the  no  small  delight  of  the  spectators.  Having 
finished  what  was  necessary  for  the  waggon,  I  was  encour- 
aged to  attempt  the  repair  of  some  gun-locks.  In  doing 
this  I  began  with  one  which  I  thought  I  could  not  spoil 
should  I  not  succeed,  and  accomplishing  that,  I  was  able  to 
put  the  others  in  order;  but  in  doing  this  I  had,  for  the 
want  of  steel,  to  sacrifice  two  of  my  files."  And  all  this 
was  absolutely  necessary  to  success  in  the  circumstances  in 
which  he  found  himself  in  South  Africa.  When  St.  Boni- 
face landed  in  Britain,  he  carried  with  him  a  Gospel  in  one 
hand  and  a  carpenter's  rule  in  the  other.  So  Robert  Mofiat 
carried  with  him  to  Africa,  as  part  of  the  religion  he  had  to 
teach,  some  knowledge  of  the  useful  arts  and  handicrafts  of 
life. 

Marvellous  as  were  the  ease  and  skill  with  which  he 
executed  the  various,  and  some  of  them  difficult  and  com- 
plex, contrivances  of  art,  the  moral  devices  by  which  he 
sought  to  interest  and  elevate  the  people  around  him  ex- 
hibit features  scarcely  less  remarkable  than  those  of  the 
mechanical.  In  both  there  was  the  same  clear  apprehension 
of  ends,  the  same  ready  suggestion  and  perfect  adaptation 
of  means.  Success,  whetlier  in  framing  a  plan  of  Christian 
beneficence  or  in  constructing  a  useful  machine,  was  never 
a  happy  accident,  but  always  an  anticipated  result.  The 
movements  of  his  mind  and  of  his  hand  were  not  made  at 
random,  but  were  guided  by  wise  forethought  and  founded 
upon  careful  calculation.  Hence  their  favourable  termina- 
tion and  valuable  fruits. 

Perseverance  was  another   element  of   our   missionary's 


ELEMENTS  OF  CHARACTER.  247 


success.  Some  persons  are  continually  changing  their  pur- 
suits and  aims.  They  never  accomplish  any  great  results, 
because  they  never  persevere  in  the  means  necessary  to 
their  accomplishment.  Unstable  as  water,  they  never  excel. 
They  only  serve  to  illustrate  the  old  proverb — "A  rolling 
stone  gathers  no  moss."  When  Moffat  undertook  a  Avork 
he  carried  it  out.  He  OAved  as  much  to  perseverance  as  to 
power ;  to  unremitting  diligence  as  to  original  and  excellent 
plans.  Constituted  by  nature  and  prepared  by  grace  for  a 
life  of  labour,  he  became,  in  every  sense  of  the  words,  "  a 
workman  that  needed  not  to  be  ashamed."  To  each  service 
he  undertook  he  gave  himself  wholly.  Indolence,  and  pro- 
crastination, and  vacillation  were  as  contrary  to  his  pre- 
dominant propensities  as  they  were  to  his  religious  principles. 
He  deferred  not  until  the  morrow  what  the  duty  of  every 
day  required.  In  his  exertions  there  was  nothing  capricious 
or  fitful.  He  wrought  by  rule.  As  steady,  moreover,  in 
the  prosecution  of  a  plan  as  he  was  careful  in  its  conception, 
he  rarely  left  his  work  unfinished.  His  course  was  never 
marked  by  hesitancy  and  change.  Each  day  witnessed  the 
progress  of  what  he  had  taken  in  hand,  and  if  unavoidably 
diverted  from  it  for  a  season,  his  interest  in  the  occupation 
did  not  decline,  but  as  soon  as  the  interruption  ceased  he 
returned  to  it  with  unrelaxed  vigour.  With  application 
and  determination,  such  as  he  brought  to  bear  upon  every 
important  design,  failure  was  scarcely  possible.  Such  reso- 
♦lute  purpose  and  unremitting  labour  could  not  fail  to  ensure 
success. 

The  translation  of  the  whole  Bible  into  the  Sechuana 
tongue  was  a  stupendous  undertaking — one  that  required 
the  patient  and  persistent  toil  of  years.  Many  and  great 
were  the  difiiculiies  to  be  overcome.  The  monotonous 
character  of  the  work  must  have  made  it  at  times  depressing 
and  irksome.  But  the  man  who  had  the  boldness  to  under- 
take it  had  the  perseverance  not  to  abandon  it ;  he  never 


248  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

turned  aside  till  the  work  was  done.  So  with  everything 
else  that  he  took  in  hand.  He  had  two  mottoes :  Nil 
desiJerandum  —  Perseverantia  omnia  vincit.  Inspired  by 
these,  he  applied  himself  to  all  the  details  of  his  great 
mission.  Whatsoever  his  hands  found  to  do  he  did  it  with 
his  might.  He  was  steadfast,  immovable,  always  abounding 
in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  knowing  that  his  labour  would  not 
be  in  vain  in  the  Lord. 

Moffat  gave  the  fullest  proof  of  his  love  for  the  people 
among  whom  he  laboured.  He  identified  himself  with  them  ; 
sought  to  guide  and  influence  them  by  persuasion.  He 
therefore  found  his  way  to  their  hearts,  and  conquered  their 
prejudices  and  passions  by  the  omnipotent  force  of  love. 
He  has  always  been  a  firm  believer  in  "  the  law  of  kind- 
ness," and  to  his  uniform  observance  of  this  law  we  must  in 
a  great  measure  trace  his  success.  Many  examples  of  this 
might  be  given  ;  one  will  suffice. 

A  chief  of  the  Corannas  called  Paul,  to  whom  Moflfat  had 
once  preached,  and  who  had  then  produced  a  somewhat 
favourable  impression  on  the  missionary's  mind,  afterwards 
became  the  head  of  a  marauding  commando,  and  pursued  a 
course  of  murder  and  rapine.  He  had  robbed  the  people 
among  whom  Moffat  laboured  of  their  cattle,  and  declared 
his  purpose  to  destroy  the  station,  and  the  missionary  de- 
sired an  interview  with  him.  Paul  had  sworn  that  he  would 
not  see  Moffat,  and  for  a  time  kept  his  oath.  At  length  he 
consented  to  an  interview,  and  thus  Moffat  describes  it : — 
"I  again  met  my  half-way  delegates,  when,  after  a  long  con- 
versation with  Jantye  and  another  message  to  Paul,  he 
made  his  appearance  slowly  and  sadly,  as  if  following  a 
friend  to  execution,  or  going  himself  to  be  slain.  His  face 
appeared  incapable  of  a  smile.  Taking  his  hand  as  that  of 
an  old  friend,  I  expressed  my  surprise  that  ho  who  knew 
me,  and  who  once  listened  to  the  message  of  salvation  from 
my  lips,  should  come  with  such  a  force  for  the  express  pur- 


ELEMENTS  OF  CHARACTER.  249 

pose  of  rooting  out  the  mission.  I  referred  him  to  the  time 
when  more  than  once  I  had  slept  at  the  door  of  his  hut  and 
partaken  of  his  hospitality.  He  replied  that  his  purposes 
were  unalterable,  because  more  than  a  year  ago  a  body  of  his 
men,  who  had  passed  into  the  interior  to  take  cattle  from 
the  Barolongs,  were  attacked  by  Mothibi's  people,  and  that 
although  Mothibi  was  fled,  many  of  his  subjects  and  the 
Batlaros  were  on  the  station.  His  eyes  glared  with  fury  as 
he  said,  '  I  shall  have  their  blood  and  their  cattle  too  ! ' 

*'  People  in  this  country  can  scarcely  conceive  how  difficult, 
not  to  say  how  impossible,  it  is  to  argue  with  such  characters, 
for  some  will  not  hear.  But  Paul  could  argue  ;  and  having 
once  listened  to  my  voice  with  pleasure,  the  long  time  which 
had  elapsed  had  not  effaced  the  impressions  made  by  the 
visit  and  presence  of  a  teacher.  Although  I  was  not  preach- 
ing, I  spoke  with  great  solemnity,  asking  him  if  the  bleached 
bones  on  the  Barolong  and  Kalagari  plains,  the  souls  his 
clubs  and  spears  had  hurried  into  eternity  since  he  left  home, 
and  the  innocent  blood  with  which  he  had  stained  the  desert 
but  a  few  days  ago,  were  not  sufficient  to  glut  his  revenge, 
or  rather  to  make  him  tremble  for  the  judgments  which 
such  a  career  would  certainly  bring  upon  himself  and  his 
people,  and  which  had  already  begun  to  be  poured  out  on  the 
blood-guilty  tribes  of  the  Orange  River  1 

"  After  having  talked  to  him  for  some  time  in  this  strain, 
I  begged  him  to  call  to  mind  his  first  and  only  visit  to  me 
while  with  Africaner,  and  his  declaration,  at  a  subsequent 
period,  that  he  and  his  people  were  leaving  because  it  was 
rumoured  that  Africaner  was  about  to  remove  from  the 
country  in  which  his  presence  had  been  the  bond  of  union, 
entreating  him  to  compare  his  state  of  mind  at  that  time 
with  what  it  was  now.  This  had  scarcely  passed  my  lips 
when  he  ordered  his  men  to  go  and  bring  the  cattle  which 
had  been  taken  from  our  people,  and  added  that  he  would 
not  go  a  step  further,  but  return  by  the  way  he  came.     In 


250  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

the  course  of  a  subsequent  conversation,  I  inquired  why  he 
was  so  determined  on  not  seeing  me.  '  I  could  not  forget 
your  kindness  to  me  in  Namaqua  land,'  was  the  reply.  In 
this  the  reflecting  reader  will  observe  a  fresh  instance  of  the 
omnipotence  of  love,  even  among  the  most  barbarous  of  the 
human  race." 

Then,  covering  all,  there  was  his  comiplete  devotion  to  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He  considered  himself  the  servant  of 
Christ, — this  above  everything  else.  What  he  did  he  did 
unto  the  Lord,  who  had  ransomed  him  from  sin  and  all  its 
consequences.  He  felt  that  He  had  redeemed  him  at  the 
cost  of  His  own  blood,  and  that  such  a  Redeemer  deserved 
his  heartiest  and  best  service.  The  thought  that  in  all  things 
he  was  serving  Christ — living  under  law  to  Him,  living  as 
in  His  eye  and  for  His  glory,  elevated  and  enlarged  his 
conceptions  of  the  most  common  work.  Indeed  no  work 
to  him  was  common.  He  realised  in  himself  the  spirit  of 
George  Herbert: — 

"A  servant  with  this  clause 

Makes  drudgery  divine  ; 
Who  sweeps  a  room,  as  for  Thy  laws, 

Makes  that  and  th'  action  fine. 
This  is  tlie  famous  stone 

That  turneth  all  to  gold  ; 
For  that  which  God  doth  touch  and  own, 

Cannot  for  less  be  told." 

He  considered  himself  as  Christ's,  and  Christ's  alone,  Tenny- 
son makes  Knig  Arthur  say — "  My  knights  are  sworn  to 
vows  of  utter  hardihood,  utter  gentleness  and  loving,  utter 
faithfulness  in  love,  and  uttermost  obedience  to  the  king." 
Such  were  the  vows  Moffat  took  upon  himself  when  he  went 
forth  to  the  missionary  field.  Henceforth  he  had  a  single 
eye  m  all  things  to  the  pleasure  and  glory  of  his  sovereign 
Lord.  Dr.  Judson,  the  great  Burman  missionary,  formed 
among  other  resolutions  for  the  regulation  of  his  life  this 


ELEMENTS  OF  CHARACTER.  251 

one—"  Resolved  not  to  do  anything  which  does  not  appear 
at  the  time  to  be  well-pleasing  to  Christ."  The  spirit  of  this 
resolution  was  the  inward  principle  of  Mofifat's  missionary 
career. 

Taking  him  altogether,  we  have  in  Robert  Moffat  one  of 
the  noblest  characters — one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  sancti- 
fied humanity  the  world  has  ever  seen.  His  name  will  be 
remembered  in  Africa  to  latest  ages  with  gratitude  and 
honour.  When  some  future  historian,  rising  up  from  among 
the  people  themselves,  shall  write  its  history,  Moffat  and 
his  distinguished  son-in-law,  Livingstone,  will  be  spoken  of 
as  two  of  its  greatest  benefactors.  Through  all  ages  their 
memory  will  ])e  more  precious  than  jewels — more  fragrant 
than  the  spices  of  Arabia  or  the  breath  of  May. 


,   ( 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 


OTHER    AFRICAN     MISSIONS. 


T  may  not  be  inappropriate  to  devote  in  closing  the 
last  two  chapters  of  this  book,  one  to  a  brief  sketch 
of  missionary  work  on  the  African  continent,  the 
other  to  a  general  survey  of  missionary  operations 
throughout  the  world.  As  Dr.  Moffat  was  an  agent  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society,  our  references  have  been  chiefly 
to  labours  in  connection  with  that  institution ;  but  several 
other  societies  have  laboured  long,  and  are  labouring  still, 
among  the  various  peoples  of  the  African  race.  In  their 
ultimate  object,  and  the  general  means  employed  for  its 
attainment,  these  several  societies,  and  all  united,  stand  in 
close  relation  to  Moffat's  life-work. 

The  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society  began  its  share  in  the 
evangelisation  of  Southern  Africa  in  the  year  1814,  when 
the  Rev.  J.  M'Kenny  was  sent  out  as  tlic  first  missionary. 
He  arrived  in  Cape  Town  in  August  of  that  year,  but  such 
was  the  jealousy  of  the  Government  authorities  that  he  was 
not  allowed  to  open  his  commission,  or  to  preach  in  tlio 
colony,  although  he  produced  credentials  of  the  most  satis- 
factory character.  He  was  therefore  instructed  by  his  com- 
mittee to  proceed   to  Ceylon,      They  were  not   disposed, 


OTHER  AFRICAN  MISSIONS.  253 

however,  to  relinquish  their  efforts  for  the  spiritual  welfare 
of  the  degraded  tribes  of  Southern  Africa  in  consequence  of 
the  failure  of  their  first  experiment.  In  1815  they  appointed 
the  Rev,  Barnabas  Shaw  to  attempt  the  commencement  of 
a  mission  at  the  Cape.  On  his  arrival  he  presented  his 
credentials  to  the  Governor,  but  met  with  no  better  success 
than  his  predecessor.  His  Excellency  declined  to  give  him 
permission  to  preach  in  Cape  Town,  on  the  ground  that 
the  English  and  the  Dutch  colonists  were  provided  with 
ministers,  whilst  the  owners  of  slaves  were  unwilling  to 
have  them  religiously  instructed.  Mr.  Shaw  naively  says  : — 
"Having  been  refused  the  sanction  of  the  Governor,  I  was 
resolved  what  to  do,  and  commenced  without  it  on  the 
following  Sabbath.  My  congregations  at  first  were  chiefly 
composed  of  pious  soldiers,  and  it  was  in  a  room  hired  by 
them  that  I  first  preached  Christ  and  Him  crucified  in 
South  Africa."  Although  it  would  appear  that  the  Govern- 
ment authorities  took  no  notice  of  this  infringement  of  their 
regulations,  yet  the  spirit  of  prejudice  against  missionary 
efforts  prevailed  to  such  an  extent  among  the  colonists  that 
Mr.  Shaw  was  much  discouraged,  and  saw  little  prospect  of 
good  in  Cape  Town.  Under  these  circumstances  he  longed 
for  an  opening  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen  in  the 
interior,  where  he  would  not  be  subject  to  the  annoyances 
and  hindrances  experienced  in  the  colony. 

At  length  an  opportunity  was  afforded  of  engaging  in  this 
enterprise.  One  of  the  agents  of  the  London  Missionary 
Society  came  to  Cape  Town  from  Great  Namaqua  land  on  a 
visit,  and  he  made  such  representations  of  the  openings  for 
missionary  labour  in  that  country,  that  on  his  kind  invitation 
Mr.  Shaw  and  his  wife  resolved  to  accompany  him  back. 
Leaving  Cape  Town,  the  missionary  party  had  pursued 
their  toilsome  journey  for  nearly  a  month,  when,  by  a 
remarkable  providence,  Mr.  Shaw  found  an  opening  for 
a    suitable  sphere  of   labour.     He   actually  met  with  the 


254  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


chief  of  Little  ISTamaqua  land  on  his  way  to  Cape  Town  to  seek 
for  a  Christian  teacher.  Having  heard  his  affecting  story, 
and  being  deeply  impressed  with  the  fact  that  the  finger  of 
God  was  pointing  in  the  direction  in  which  he  ought  to  go, 
the  missionary  agreed  to  accompany  the  chief  to  his  moun- 
tain home.  On  reaching  the  end  of  their  journey,  a  council 
was  held  by  the  chief  and  some  of  his  head-men  respecting 
the  arrival  of  the  missionary,  when  they  all  entreated  him 
to  remain  with  them,  and  promised  to  assist  him  in  every 
possible  way.  He  therefore  immediately  opened  his  com- 
mission by  proclaiming  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation,  and  by 
teaching  both  old  and  young  the  elements  of  religion  and 
the  use  of  letters.  It  was  trying  work,  and  required  much 
patience,  but  labour,  prayer,  faith,  perseverance,  were 
eventually  rewarded  with  success.  A  number  of  children 
and  young  people  learned  to  read  with  tolerable  facility, 
and  a  native  church  was  formed  of  faithful  members, 
who  were  a  credit  to  their  religious  profession.  At  the 
same  time,  the  civilising  influences  of  Christianity  were 
brought  to  bear  upon  the  people,  and  from  year  to  year 
their  temporal  condition  was  materially  improved. 

Whilst  the  missionary  was  thus  endeavouring  to  instruct 
the  people,  he  had  to  labour  hard  at  intervals  to  build  a  house 
to  live  in,  and  a  sanctuary  for  the  worship  of  God.  In  the 
accomplishment  of  these  undertakings  many  difliculties  had 
to  be  overcome.  The  people,  although  willing  to  assist,  had 
never  been  accustomed  to  continuous  labour,  and  ludicrous 
scenes  were  witnessed  in  the  progress  of  the  work.  When 
the  buildings  were  ready  for  the  roofs,  no  trees  fit  for  timber 
could  be  found  within  a  day's  journey  of  the  station,  but 
when  they  arrived  at  the  place  the  missionary  produced 
for  the  first  time  his  cross-cut  saw,  himself  working  at  one 
end  and  a  Namaqua  at  the  other.  Great  was  the  joy  of  the 
people  on  beholding  the  result,  and  they  could  scarcely  be 
restrained  from  cutting  more  timber  than  was  required,  on 


OTHER  AFRICAN  MISSIONS.  255 

account  of  their  delight  at  witnessing  the  performance  of 
the  instrument  as  one  tree  after  another  fell  to  the  ground. 
Nor  were  their  delight  and  surprise  the  less  on  seeing 
the  first  plough  set  to  work,  which  the  missionary  had  made 
chiefly  with  his  own  hands.  The  old  chief  stood  upon  a 
hill  for  some  time  in  mute  astonishment ;  at  length  he 
called  to  his  counsellors  at  a  short  distance,  saying,  "  Come 
and  see  the  strange  thing.  Look  how  it  tears  up  the  ground 
with  its  iron  mouth !  If  it  goes  on  so  all  the  day  it  will  do 
more  work  than  ten  wives  ! "  Hitherto  the  work  of  tilling 
the  ground  had  been  left  to  the  women  and  slaves,  but  the 
introduction  of  the  Gospel  into  the  country  was  destined  to 
mark  a  new  era  in  agricultural  pursuits  as  well  as  in  the 
moral  condition  of  the  people.  Mr.  Shaw  had  taken  with 
him  to  Africa  a  few  garden  seeds,  the  rapid  growth  of  which 
amused  the  natives  greatly,  but  when  they  saw  the  use  to 
which  the  lettuce  and  other  salads  were  appropriated,  they 
laughed  heartily,  saying,  "  If  the  missionary  and  his  wife 
can  eat  grass,  they  need  never  starve  ! " 

A  brief  account  of  a  visit  to  this  station  in  recent  years 
will  give  some  idea  of  the  progress  that  has  been  made. 
Mr.  Moister,  speaking  of  what  he  saw  in  1853,  says: — 
"After  a  toilsome  journey  through  the  wilderness  we 
atrived  at  Bethel,  on  Friday  the  14  th  of  July,  and  were 
glad  to  find  that  the  resident  missionary,  the  Rev.  J.  A. 
Bailie,  and  the  people  of  the  station,  had  already  removed 
to  the  XJnderveldt  for  the  winter  months.  Saturday  was 
spent  in  conversing  with  Mr.  Bailie  and  a  few  of  the  head- 
men on  various  matters  pertaining  to  the  religious  and 
temporal  interests  of  the  institution,  the  result  of  which 
was  very  satisfactory.  Towards  evening  a  number  of  the 
natives  arrived  at  the  station  from  distant  places,  some  in 
waggons  and  others  on  horseback,  to  be  ready  for  the 
services  of  the  Sabbath.  At  an  early  hour  on  Sunday 
morning  we  were  awoke  by  the  singing  of  the  natives,  who 


256  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


had  already  assembled  in  the  adjoining  chapel  to  hold  their 
usual  prayer-meeting.  We  immediately  arose  and  joined 
them  in  their  devotions.  The  prayers  were  offered  partly 
in  Dutch  and  partly  in  Namaqua."  The  same  gentleman 
paid  a  second  visit  to  this  station  two  or  three  years  after, 
when  he  found  there  a  beautiful  new  chapel,  capable  of 
holding  six  hundred  persons,  built  of  stone  at  a  cost  of 
about  XI 000,  erected  by  the  united  efforts  and  contribu- 
tions of  the  people,  without  any  foreign  aid,  except  the  gift 
of  the  pulpit  by  a  few  friends  in  Cape  Town.  There  were 
abundant  evidences  also  of  material  progress  and  improve- 
ment in  the  temporal  affairs  of  the  people.  About  seven 
hundred  acres  of  land  had  been  brought  under  cultivation, 
and  the  natives  belonging  to  the  institution  owned  about 
one  hundred  ploughs,  thirty  waggons,  two  thousand  five 
hundred  horned  cattle,  four  hundred  horses,  and  seven 
thousand  sheep  and  goats. 

The  Rev.  W,  Threlfall,  one  of  the  earliest  missionaries, 
was   brutally  murdered    in    1825.      Accompanied   by   two 
native  teachers  he  set  out  for  Great  Namaqua  land  on  a 
journey  of  observation,  with  a  view  to  the  extension  of  the 
work.     They  travelled  without  molestation  till  they  had  got 
two  or  three  days  journey  beyond  the  Orange  River.     At 
this  point  they  came  in  contact  with  troublesome  wander- 
ing tribes  of  Bushmen.     Although  they  had  with  them  a 
few  goods  for  barter,  they  suffered  much  for  want  of  food, 
the  people  being  unfriendly  and  unwilling  to  supply  them. 
They  obtained  a  guide  at  one  of  the  villages,  but  he  and 
his  companions  formed  a  plot  for  the  destruction  of  the  whole 
mission  party,  that  they  might  take  possession  of  their  effects. 
The  following  night,  while  Mr.  Threlfall  and  his  companions 
were  sleeping  under  a  bush,  without  tlie  slightest  appre- 
hension of  danger,  their  foes  came  upon  them  and  murdered 
them  in  cold  blood.     Although  this  circumstance  prevented 
the  establishment  of  a  mission  to  the  north  of  the  Orange 


OTHER  AFRICAN  MISSIONS.  257 

River  at  that  time,  jet  in  1832  the  work  was  begun  there, 
and  has  continued  to  the  present  time.  In  the  Beclmana 
country  something  has  been  done  also  by  Wesleyan  mis- 
sionaries. Remnants  of  various  scattered  tribes  have  from 
time  to  time  gathered  around  them,  and  through  their 
influence  have  settled  down  and  become  a  comparatively 
prosperous  and  happy  people. 

The  labours  of  the  Wesleyan  brethren  cover  other  large 
districts  in  Southern  Africa.  There  are  about  seventy 
missionaries  preaching  the  Gospel  in  the  vernacular  tongues 
of  the  people  to  whom  they  minister,  eleven  thousand  five 
hundred  and  twenty -four  church  members  of  different  nations 
and  tribes  of  people,  and  twelve  thousand  three  hundred 
and  forty-three  scholars  receiving  instruction  in  the  mission 
schools.  It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  also,  that  the  holy  Scrip- 
tures and  other  religious  books  have  been  translated  into 
five  or  six  different  languages  by  the  missionaries  for  the 
use  of  the  natives.  Some  of  these  languages  never  had  been 
written  when  they  undertook  the  task  of  reducing  them  to 
a  grammatical  form. 

In  1821  two  missionaries,  Messrs.  Thomson  and  Bourne, 
went  out  to  South  Africa  from  Glasgow,  under  the  direction 
of  what  was  then  called  the  Glasgow  Missionary  Society, 
with  the  view  of  commencing  a  mission  in  Caffi-aria.  They 
were  afterwards  followed  from  time  to  time  by  other  mis- 
sionaries, and  several  stations  were  established.  For  some 
years  they  had  to  encounter  great  difficulties,  partly  from 
the  indifferent  and  stupid  character  of  the  people,  and  partly 
from  the  unhappy  disturbances  which  prevailed  between  the 
people  and  the  British  Government.  The  situation  of  the 
missionaries  was  at  once  difficult  and  perilous.  Flushed 
with  success,  or  whetted  by  revenge,  the  Caffres  would  not 
Dear  to  be  spoken  to,  and  when  the  British  troops  began  to 
scour  the  country,  and  burn  their  kraals,  and  seize  their 
cattle,  and  make  reprisals,  they  became  excited  almost  to 

ir 


258  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

fury,  and  charged  the  missionaries  with  being  their  enemies 
because  they  did  not  prevent  the  devastation  of  the  soldiers. 
The  missionaries  stopped  in  the  country  as  long  as  they 
could,  but  they  were  at  length  obliged  to  escape  for  their 
lives.  Parties  of  soldiers  were  sent  to  protect  them  on  their 
way  to  the  English  camp,  and  they  afterwards  escorted 
them  to  Graham's  Town.  In  the  latter  part  of  1835  peace 
was  restored  to  the  country,  and  they  returned  to  the 
scenes  of  their  work. 

The  missionaries  after  their  return  set  themselves  to 
repair  their  houses,  which  had  been  destroyed  by  the  natives. 
They  supplied  the  people  with  food,  paid  them  for  their 
work  with  goats,  spades,  picks,  seed-corn,  and  other  useful 
articles,  deeming  it  their  duty  to  make  a  vigorous  efibrt  to 
convince  them  that  by  a  little  exertion  they  might  save 
themselves  from  famine  without  having  recourse,  and  that 
in  vain,  to  a  rain-maker.  The  missionaries  also  resumed 
their  accustomed  labours  amongst  them,  and  everything  by 
degrees  assumed  much  the  same  aspect  as  before  the  war* 
Schools  were  established  for  general  instruction  to  the  youth 
of  both  sexes,  and  also  for  teaching  the  girls  sewing.  Many 
of  the  Caffres  were  baptised,  but  they  had  to  bear  much 
from  the  opposition  of  their  countrymen,  and  often  from 
their  nearest  relatives,  and  in  their  own  dwellings.  The 
native  teachers  especially  were  frequently  hooted  and  laughed 
at  when  endeavouring  to  set  before  their  countrymen  the 
truths  of  religion.  The  teacher  of  one  school  was  debarred 
from  making  his  usual  visits  to  the  neighbouring  kraals, 
and  the  children  were  not  allowed  a  footpath  to  the  school 
because  a  child  belonging  to  the  head-man  of  the  district 
had  died,  and  it  was  said  the  teacher  had  killed  it  with 
his  prayers.  Another  of  the  teachers  was  prevented  for  a 
time  from  visiting  some  kraals,  because  he  dressed  in 
European  clothing,  thereby  giving  proof  of  his  disposition 
to  bewitch  the  people,   and  especially  the  children.      The 


OTHER  AFRICAN  MISSIONS.  259 

mother  of  a  family  was  charged  with  killing  her  children 
since  she  began  to  pray  and  serve  God.  There  prevailed 
throughout  Caffraria  great  dread  and  mistrust  of  mission- 
aries. Their  stations  were  regarded  by  many  as  branch 
establishments  of  the  Colonial  Government  for  the  wholesale 
murder  of  the  natives,  and  for  despoiling  them  of  their 
country. 

In  1846,  and  again  in  1850,  hostilities  broke  out  between 
the  English  and  the  Caffres,  and  were  attended  on  each 
occasion  by  the  breaking  up  of  the  mission  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  stations,  including  a  large  amount  of  property. 
Subsequently  the  work  was  resumed,  and  has  been  carried 
on  with  comparative  success  to  the  present  day.  It  is  now 
under  the  direction  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland. 

The  Lovedale  Institution  is  an  educational  establishment 
in  connection  with  this  mission  of  no  mean  order.  Lovedale 
lies  about  seven  hundred  miles  north-east  of  Cape  Town, 
on  a  small  river  which  once  formed  the  boundary  of  Caffraria 
proper.  The  aims  of  Lovedale  are  very  varied,  though  it 
has  one  to  which  all  others  are  subordinate.  It  seeks  to 
train  as  preachers  such  young  men  as  may  be  foand  fit  for  the 
work  ;  to  train  teachers  for  native  schools  ;  to  train  a  certain 
number  in  various  arts  of  civilised  life,  such  as  waggon- 
making,  blacksmithing,  carpentering,  printing,  bookbinding, 
telegraphy,  and  general  agricultural  work ;  to  give  a 
general  education  to  those  whose  course  in  life  is  not  yet 
decided.  There  are  two  main  departments  in  the  institute — 
the  male  and  the  female.  The  buildings  are  separated  by  a 
short  distance.  In  both  the  work  carried  on  is  educational 
and  industrial ;  but  while  each  department  of  work  has  its 
own  special  aim,  the  institution  as  a  whole  is  carried  on  with 
one  primary  object — the  essential  purpose  of  Lovedale  is  to 
Christianise. 

The  results  of  the  work  at  Lovedale  have  been  eminently 
satisfactory.     It  has  given  birth  to  other  institutions  of  a 


260  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.B. 

similar  character.  Blythswood,  in  the  Traiiskei,  is  a  direct 
offshoot  from  it,  and  was  begun  at  the  request  of  the 
natives,  who  wished  for  an  institution  similar  to  Lovedalo. 
Livingstonia,  on  Lake  Nyassa,  may  be  regarded  as  another 
offshoot.  From  the  theological  class  have  proceeded  native 
pastors,  well-educated  and  intelligent  men ;  there  are  also 
many  others  in  different  positions  for  which  they  have  been 
qualified  by  the  higher  course  of  education.  From  tlie 
trades  departments  there  are  many  who  went  to  Lovedale  at 
eight  shillings  a  month  now  earning  five  to  seven  shillings 
a  day  as  waggon-makers,  blacksmiths,  and  carpenters.  Tlio 
spiritual  results  have  been  most  satisfactory.  Sixty  workers 
are  sent  out  every  Sunday  to  hold  evangelistic  meetings  in 
the  neighbouring  kraals.  There  are  three  periodicals  pub- 
lished monthly — The  Christian  Express  in  English,  TJte 
Islqidimi  in  Caffre,  and  The  Lovedale  I\ews  in  English. 

Among  the  favourable  opinions  which  have  been  expressed 
concerning  the  institution  by  public  men,  we  may  note  the 
following.  Sir  Bartle  Frere  says:  "  Nothing  v/ould  do  more 
to  prevent  future  Caffre  wars  than  a  multiplication  of  such 
institutions  as  Lovedale  and  Blythswood."  Mr.  Anthony 
Trollope,  in  his  "South  Africa,"  says:  "Lovedale  has  had, 
and  is  having,  very  great  success.  It  has  been  established 
under  Presbyterian  auspices,  but  is  altogether  undenomina- 
tional in  its  tuition."  Dr.  Dale,  Superintendent-General  of 
■Education  in  Cape  Colony,  recently  in  the  Daily  Keim 
expressed  his  opinion  thus  :  "  Undoubtedly  the  Lovedale 
Institution  is  one  of  the  noblest  and  most  successful  mis- 
sionary agencies  founded  and  supported  in  the  Cape  Colony 
by  British  philanthropy."' 

The  Paris  Society  for  Evangelical  Missions  was  estab- 
lished in  1827.  Among  the  measures  which  it  early  adopted 
was  the  institution  of  a  college  for  the  education  of  young- 
men  as  missionaries.  Some  of  the  first  brethren  sent  out 
from  Europe  settled  in  Wagenmaker  Yalley,  about  thirty 


OTHER  AFRICAN  MISSIONS.  261 

miles  from  Cape  Town,  among  the  descendants  of  the  French 
refugees  and  their  slaves.  Others  went  into  the  interior, 
and  settled  at  a  place  called  Motito,  in  the  Bechuana 
country.  In  a  few  years  fresh  stations  were  established, 
extending  over  a  wide  extent  of  country,  and  the  success  of 
the  mission  was  on  the  whole  highly  pleasing.  The  con- 
gregations were  considerable,  and  numbers  of  natives  wer€ 
baptised  and  admitted  as  communicants.  Many  gave  abun- 
dant evidence  of  piety,  and  were  zealous  to  make  known  the 
Gospel  to  their  countrymen.  Schools  were  established,  and 
were  attended  by  considerable  numbers,  both  old  and  young. 
The  wives  of  the  missionaries  rendered  valuable  service  by 
superintending  the  schools  for  females,  by  inculcating  on 
them  habits  of  order,  economy,  and  propriety,  and  by  giving 
them  the  first  notions  of  the  management  and  training  of 
children. 

The  missionaries  translated  into  the  Sechuana  language 
the  Book  of  Psalms  and  the  Gospels  of  Matthew,  Mark, 
and  John.  They  also  printed  school-books,  a  catechism,  a 
collection  of  hymns  and  prayers,  and  short  tracts  on  the 
chief  doctrines  and  duties  of  religion.  The  people  made 
considerable  advances  in  some  of  the  more  common  and 
necessary  arts  of  civilised  life.  Many  of  them  built  them- 
selves convenient  houses  instead  of  their  old  smoky  and 
unhealthy  huts.  In  place  of  the  skins  of  animals,  which 
they  used  to  throw  over  their  bodies,  the  men  adopted 
in  part  the  European  dress,  while  the  women  who  had 
learned  to  sew  made  decent  clothes  for  themselves  and 
their  daughters.  They  obtained  ploughs  and  other  agricul- 
tural implements,  and  extended  their  husbandry  ;  and  many 
of  them  occupied  themselves  in  the  culture  of  corn,  which 
they  sold  to  the  Dutch  farmers  for  cattle,  clothing,  salt,  and 
other  useful  articles.  The  missionary  stations  furnished  a 
striking  example  of  the  influence  of  Christian  missions  in 
improving  the  condition  of  the  most  savage  tribes ;  some- 


262  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


times,  however,  they  suffered,  in  common  with  other  parts 
of  the  country,  from  the  depredations  which  the  native 
tribes  carried  on  against  each  other,  and  the  people  had  at 
such  seasons  to  remove  their  cattle  to  distant  parts.  Of 
late  years  the  missionaries  have  been  able  to  pursue  their 
work  with  great  encouragement. 

This  society  has  at  present  a  flourishing  Basuto  mission. 
At  the  Mildmay  Park  Conference  in  1878,  M.  Appia,  a 
representative  of  the  society,  thus  spoke  of  its  position  and 
influence ', — "  Our  first  missionaries,  when  they  went  out, 
thought  of  the  Korannas.  Whilst  they  were  ready  to  go  to 
them,  they  remained  a  whole  night  praying  for  guidance. 
The  next  morning  there  came  a  white  hunter,  and  he  said, 

*  Are  you  not  missionaries  1 '  They  said  they  were  ;  where- 
upon he  replied,  '  I  am  sent  by  a  chief  in  the  interior  of 
Africa  to  seek  after  teachers ;  his  name  is  Moshesh,  of  the 
Basuto  tribe.'  And  so  three  of  our  friends  were  led  by  the 
hunter  to  that  spot.  Our  mission  has  saved  one  part  of  the 
Basuto  country  from  drink — the  great  curse  of  your  country. 
Your  Government  sent  representativ^es  to  Moshesh,  holding 
out  to  him  the  prospect  of  free  trade.  They  came  to  us,  and 
we  asked  them,    'What  have  they  sent"?'     Tree  trade!' 

*  Yes,'  we  said,  '  it  is  a  right  principle ; '  and  they  said  they 
must  be  subject  to  the  Queen.  I  said,  'That  is  right;  but 
you  must  not  do  one  thing— you  must  not  allow  the  selling 
of  strong  drink.'  Some  Dutch  and  white  merchants  once 
came  with  casks  of  brandy  and  whisky  to  sell,  and  the  black 
chief  ordered  his  men  to  take  out  the  bung,  and  while  the 
liquor  rushed  down  the  streets  the  white  man  was  taking 
his  hat  and  catching  as  much  as  he  could  and  putting  it  to 
his  lips,  and  the  black  man  was  standing  wondering  all  the 
time.  Our  French  missionaries  have  built  a  wall  against 
strong  drink  around  Basuto  land,  and  neither  whisky  nor 
brandy  shall  enter  into  that  land.  This,  let  me  tell  you,  is 
important.     I  think  you  can  test  by  this  means  the  influence 


OTHER  AFRICAN  MISSIONS.  263 

our  missionaries  have  had  upon  the  country.  Now  for  the 
numbers.  We  have  in  our  schools  upwards  of  three  thousand 
scholars  and  about  four  thousand  communicants.  During 
the  last  year  three  hundred  and  fifty-two  children  were 
baptised,  and  three  hundred  and  forty-eight  adults.  We 
have  fifteen  missionaries,  sixty-six  out-stations,  and  ninety 
evangelists." 

The  Rhenish  Missionary  Society  was  constituted  in  1828, 
by  the  union  of  three  previous  existing  associations  at 
Elberfeld,  Barmen,  and  Cologne,  and  they  were  soon  after 
joined  by  other  associations  in  the  Rhenish  Provinces  and 
in  Westphalia.  The  society  derives  its  support  chiefly  from 
the  territory  between  the  Rhine  and  the  Maase.  The  first 
missionaries  sailed  from  London  for  the  Cape  in  1829,  but 
they  were  afterwards  followed  by  others,  and  numerous 
stations  have  since  been  formed  both  within  and  beyond  the 
colony.  The  work  was  carried  on  long  without  much  fruit, 
but  in  later  years  there  have  been  many  tokens  of  blessings. 

In  1833  the  Berlin  Missionary  Society  was  formed,  and 
commenced  its  foreign  operations  by  sending  four  mission- 
aries to  South  Africa.  These  were  afterwards  followed  by 
others,  and  a  number  of  stations  were  formed  in  the  Cape 
Colony,  Caffraria,  the  Bechuana  country,  and  Natal  Colony. 
•In  1845  the  Rev.  Mr.  Scholtz,  who  with  four  other 
missionaries  had  lately  arrived  in  South  Africa,  was 
murdered  by  two  Caffres  when  on  the  way  to  the  scene  of 
their  future  labours.  Addressing  the  Mildmay  Park  Con- 
ference, to  which  we  have  adverted  more  than  once.  Dr. 
Wangemann,  the  secretary  of  the  Berlin  Society,  presented 
the  following  view  of  its  work: — "The  Berlin  Missionary 
Society,  which  I  have  the  honour  to  represent  before  this 
conference,  has,  though  limiting  its  labours  to  South  Africa, 
acquired  a  very  large  field  for  its  operations.  It  has  spread 
out  its  net  of  forty-two  stations  over  a  country  a  thousand 
miles  in  length,  and  five  hundred  in  breadth,   comprising 


264  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


within  its  limits  seven  different  nations,  among  whom  the 
Gospel  has  to  bo  preached  in  seven  different  languages. 
Besides  its  fifty-three  ordained  labourers,  four  colonist 
missionaries  give  instructions  to  the  natives  in  industrial 
branches.  About  eight  thousand  baptised  converts  from 
among  the  heathen  come  together  in  our  churches,  two  thou- 
sand children  are  in  oui  native  schools,  and  there  are  more 
than  a  thousand  inquirers  in  the  rooms  of  the  catechists.  Our 
forty-two  stations  extend  over  the  whole  of  South  Africa. 
Five  of  them  are  in  the  Old  Cape  Colony,  five  in  Old  Caffre 
land,  six  in  the  Orange  Free  State,  six  in  Natal,  and  twenty- 
two  are  in  the  Transvaal.  The  whole  are  divided  into  six 
superintendencies.  I  make  bold  to  say  that  scarcely  any 
missionary  work  in  South  Africa  exceeds  ours  in  extent. 

"  One  characteristic  feature  of  our  society  is  our  poverty. 
Having  only  ,£12,000  a-year  to  spend  on  this  extensive 
work,  it  is  evident  that  our  missionaries  live  according  to 
the  apostolic  rule ;  having  food  and  raiment  they  are  there- 
with content.  Nevertheless,  we  in  Berlin  are  very  zealous 
in  promoting  the  education  and  instruction  of  our  mis- 
sionaries. For  five  years  they  receive  daily  instruction  for 
two  hours  in  Bible  knowledge,  and  for  three  or  four  more 
in  the  ancient  languages,  systematic  theology,  and  kindred 
disciplines.  Before  being  sent  out  they  have  to  undergo  a 
somewhat  hard  examination  under  the  presidency  of  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Ecclesiastical  Consistory.  A  second  characteristic 
of  our  work  is  its  caution  and  sobriety.  We  never  baptise 
anyljody  in  whom  m'o  have  not  before  seen  visible  indications 
of  the  working  of  the  holy  Spirit ;  nor  do  we  ever  employ 
worldly  means  to  swell  the  number  of  our  members.  We 
exercise  strict  church  discipline.  It  is  very  seldom  that  oi^.e 
of  our  converts  will  be  found  in  prison  ;  and  while  there  is 
a  general  complaint  against  the  Cliristian  black  servants  in 
Africa,  our  people  are  sought  in  general  as  good,  useful, 
trustworthy  labourers  and  servants." 


OTHER  AFRICAN  MISSIONS.  265 


The  American  Board  for  Foreign  Missions  sent  out  six 
missionaries  to  the  Cape  in  1834,  half  of  them  to  labour  in 
the  interior  and  half  on  the  coast,  at  Port  Natal  or  its 
vicinity.  On  their  arrival,  three  proceeded  by  way  of 
Griqua  Town  and  Kuruman  to  Mosika,  where  the  French 
missionaries  had  begun  a  station  a  few  years  before ;  they 
were  soon,  however,  compelled  to  leave  the  country  and  join 
their  brethren  at  Natal. 

In  1838  James  Backhouse  and  George  W.  Walker,  two 
members  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  visited  South  Africa, 
and  prosecuted  their  pious  and  benevolent  labours  among 
all  classes  of  the  population.  In  the  course  of  their  exten- 
sive journeyings  they  visited  the  stations  of  most  of  the 
societies  to  which  we  have  referred,  although  they  were 
scattered  over  a  vast  extent  of  country,  and  often  at  a  great 
distance  from  one  another.  By  the  missionaries  of  the 
various  denominations  they  were  received  in  the  most 
friendly  manner,  and  every  facility  was  given  them,  and 
assistance  afforded,  in  addressing  the  people  under  their 
care.  Though  their  addresses  were  not  free  from  the  pecu- 
liarities of  Friends,  yet  their  declarations  concerning  the 
way  of  salvation  through  Jesus  Christ  were  such  as  to  shew 
the  substantial  unity  of  all  evangelical  Christians. 

The  Moravian  brethren  still  carry  on  their  useful  work  in 
South  Africa ;  but  passing  by  them,  and  one  or  two  efforts 
on  a  smaller  scale,  we  hasten  to  furnish  this  sketch  with  a 
notice  of  the  Oxford  and  Cambridge  South  Central  African 
Mission.  The  geographical  discoveries  of  Dr.  Livingstone, 
Avhen  told  by  himself  on  his  visit  to  this  country  in  1856, 
awakened  a  profound  and  widespread  influence.  The 
unaffected  and  simple  bearing  of  the  great  traveller,  the 
evident  high  principles  of  the  man,  the  resolute  will,  and  the 
calm  self-possessed  power  that  had  carried  him  through  the 
toils  and  perils  of  his  sixteen  years  African  research,  opened 
all  hearts  to  his  story.     Livingstone  knew  how  to  tu-rn  the 


266  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


position  he  had  gained  to  the  account  of  the  cause  for  which 
his  geographical  researches  had  been  prosecuted.  With  a 
mind  thoroughly  unsectarian  he  appealed  to  all  sections  of 
the  church,  and  alike  to  Episcopalians  and  Nonconformists, 
His  visit  to  Cambridge,  about  a  year  after  his  return,  was 
the  most  remarkable  event  of  his  home  life.  His  reception 
was  an  ovation.  His  lecture  on  the  occasion  closed  with 
words  that  could  not  be  forgotten  in  an  assembly  composed 
at  once  of  the  grave  and  reflective,  and  of  the  impressive, 
ardent,  and  enterprising  minds  of  the  university.  "I'll 
go  back,"  said  he,  "  to  Africa  to  try  and  make  an  open  path 
for  commerce  and  Christianity.  Do  you  carry  out  the 
work  which  I  have  begun.     I  leave  it  with  you." 

The  seed  which  Livingstone  sowed  in  that  lecture  ripened 
slowly.  A  dead  lull  succeeded  the  storm  of  enthusiasm, 
and  Livingstone  and  his  Africans  seemed  forgotten.  He 
was  not,  however,  to  be  altogether  disappointed.  There  was 
labouring  among  the  CafFres  at  the  time  an  earnest,  devoted 
man,  Charles  Frederick  Mackenzie  by  name,  who  had  taken 
a  high  place  in  Cambridge  University,  and  who  had  gone 
out  some  time  before  to  preach  among  the  heathen  the 
unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.  The  energy  and  zeal  of 
Mackenzie  were  apostolic.  In  his  wilderness  home  at 
Umhlali,  in  the  Caffre  school,  or  in  the  midst  of  the  Caffre 
village  and  the  native  infant  churches,  he  found  scope  for 
his  simple,  earnest.  Christian  faith  and  work.  There,  as  he 
rejoiced  in  the  abundance  of  his  congenial  labour,  and 
thought  of  the  brief  twelve  hours  of  the  Sabbath  day  on 
which  it  had  mainly  to  be  wrought,  he  wrote  home :  "  My 
only  regret  is  that  I  cannot  make  more  of  my  Sunday  than 
what  I  do.  I  wish  T  could  say,  like  Joshua,  *  Sun,  stand 
thou  still.' " 

The  missionary  labours  of  Mackenzie  were  abruptly  closed 
by  his  coming  to  England  in  prosecution  of  arrangements 
for  the  appointment  of  a  missionary  bishop  to  the  Zulu 


OTHER  AFRICAN  MISSIONS.  267 

country.  The  Oxford  and  Cambridge  Mission  received  a 
fresh  impulse  at  the  time  of  his  return.  The  field  chosen 
was  South  Central  Africa,  and  the  object  of  the  mission 
announced  to  be  the  establishment  of  one  or  two  more 
stations  as  centres  of  Christianity  and  civilisation.  With 
the  Christian  instruction  of  the  natives  there  was  to  be  kept 
specially  in  view  the  promotion  of  agriculture,  lawful  com- 
merce, and  ultimate  extirpation  of  the  slave  trade.  The 
mission  was  cast  after  the  conception  of  those  early  mission 
monasteries  to  which  England  and  Germany  owed  their 
Christianity  and  first  lessons  in  civilisation,  only  free  from 
their  monastic  restraints.  It  was  to  be  a  settlement  prac- 
tically to  illustrate  Christian  life,  and  from  whence,  as  a 
centre,  to  spread  Christian  truth.  The  scheme  was  planned 
on  a  scale  worthy  of  the  universities,  and  if  the  ultimate 
choice  of  a  location  had  corresponded  with  the  sagacity  of 
the  preliminary  arrangements,  its  brief  history  would  have 
presented  a  less  discouraging  record  of  failure. 

The  most  anxious  of  the  preliminary  steps  was  the  selec- 
tion of  a  leader  for  the  enterprise.  This  difiiculty  was  being 
keenly  felt  when  Mackenzie,  reappearing  at  Cambridge  like 
one,  as  it  was  said,  who  had  dropped  from  the  clouds,  was 
at  once  recognised  as  the  man  to  head  the  mission.  He 
accepted  the  leadership,  and  sailed  for  Africa.  At  Cape 
Town  he  was  consecrated  "  Bishop  of  the  Mission  to  the 
tribes  dwelling  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Lake  Nyanza 
and  the  River  Shire."  By  arrangements  with  Dr.  Living- 
stone, the  missionary  party  was  conveyed  up  the  Zambesi 
and  Shire  in  the  small  steamer  which  the  Government  had 
placed  at  the  command  of  the  traveller.  It  was  not  allowed 
to  Bishop  Mackenzie  to  mature  the  plan  of  his  mission  set- 
tlement, or,  in  despair  of  success,  to  transfer  its  operations 
to  another  field.  His  strength  was  soon  prostrated  by  suc- 
cessive attacks  of  fever.  By  an  unfortunate  accident  his 
canoe  had  been  upset,  and  his  store  of  quinine  and  packet 


268  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

of  medicine  for  combating  fever  swept  away.  No  substitutes 
were  at  hand,  and  nothing  could  be  procured  to  sustain  the 
strength  which  the  fever  was  striking  down.  He  conse- 
quently fell  a  victim  to  its  power,  and  died  in  the  midst 
of  his  work.  The  natural  unhealthiness  of  tlie  settlement 
quickly  drained  the  strength  of  the  European  members ; 
even  the  natives  sank  under  the  fever-air  of  its  low 
position,  fifty  having  died  within  the  first  twelve  or  eighteen 
months.  When  it  was  at  length  determined  to  abandon  the 
station  and  settle  at  Chibisa,  the  heat  of  the  new  station 
was  found  to  be  intolerable.  The  entire  mission  on  the 
Zambesi  and  Shire  was  ultimately  broken  up. 

At  present  the  Universities'  Mission  is  under  Bishop 
Steere,  and  occupies  the  country  lying  between  the  Lake 
Nyassa  and  the  East  Coast.  Stations  have  been  established 
at  Magila  and  Masasi,  and  the  efforts  to  afford  industrial 
traininir  to  tlie  released  slaves  and  other  natives,  and  to 
promote  education  in  the  schools  in  Zanzibar,  appear  to 
have  been  highly  successful,  as  is  proved  by  the  fact  that 
no  expedition  to  the  interior  is  thoroughly  complete  without 
{me  or  more  of  the  lads  trained  in  the  schools.  It  was  one 
of  these  lads  who,  with  the  permission  of  Mr.  Stanley,  was 
left  with  King  Mtesa,  and  there  translated  and  read  the 
Bible,  following  up  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Stanley  to  unfold  the 
main  truths  of  Christianity  before  that  chief  and  his  court. 
Whatever  the  future  of  tlie  Universities'  Mission  may  be,  if 
it  have  no  other  story  to  tell  than  the  life  of  its  first  bishop, 
its  work  will  not  have  been  in  vain.  The  record  of  his 
self-dedication,  noble  unselfishness,  heroism  without  display, 
cheerfulness  under  all  trials,  and  singular  union  of  feminine 
gentleness  with  calm  energy  of  will  and  loving  unfaltering 
submission  to  duty,  will  yet  summon  many  a  soldier  to  the 
mission  ranks,  prepared  to  follow  in  self-sacrificing  love  the 
footprints  of  Charles  Frederick  Mackenzie. 

There  are  other  Christian  Missions  in  Africa.     Amonj^ 


OTHER  AFRICAN  MISSIONS.  269 


those  on  the  West  Coast  one  of  the  most  interesting  is  that 
conducted  "by  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society.  Its  origin 
and  history  are  alike  remarkable.  Soon  after  the  emancipa- 
tion of  the  slaves  in  the  West  Indies  a  hlack  man  of  the 
name  of  Keith  sold  all  that  he  possessed,  worked  his  passage 
to  Africa,  and  proclaimed  on  the  very  spot  whence  he  had 
been  stolen  the  Gospel  of  salvation.  Many  others  offered 
their  services.  When  it  was  hinted  that  they  might  be 
made  slaves  again,  they  answered,  "We  have  been  made 
slaves  for  men ;  we  can  be  made  slaves  for  Christ."  In 
1840  the  mission  to  Western  Africa  was  commenced.  The 
llcv.  John  Clarke  and  Dr.  Prince  were  sent  to  explore  the 
coast,  especially  on  or  near  the  banks  of  the  Niger.  Every- 
where they  met  M'ith  a  cordial  recej)tion  from  the  natives, 
but  favourable  circumstances  led  them  to  select,  as  the  seat 
of  the  mission,  the  island  of  Fernando  Po,  immediately 
opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Cameroons  River.  This  island 
presented  an  encouraging  field  for  missionary  enterprise 
among  the  aborigines  of  the  interior,  as  well  as  in  the 
colony  of  Clarence,  then  much  frequented  by  traders  on  the 
coast  and  by  Her  Majesty's  cruisers  employed  in  the  sup- 
})ression  of  the  slave  trade.  The  chiefs  on  the  banks  of 
the  Cameroons  River  also  gave  them  a  hearty  welcome. 
Stations  were  soon  formed  in  Fernando  Po  and  on  the 
coast.  The  languages  of  tlie  people  were  diligently  studied 
and  reduced  to  writing.  Vocabularies  and  school-books  in 
various  dialects  were  prepared,  and  portions  of  holy  Scrip- 
ture were  translated  and  put  to  press.  Then  disease  and 
death  began  to  invade  the  homes  of  the  missionaries,  and 
the  prospects  of  the  mission  became  clouded  with  sorrow 
and  strife. 

In  1843,  in  1846,  and  again  in  1856,  the  Government 
of  Spain,  in  pursuance  of  its  claim  to  the  sovereignty  of 
i''ernando  Po,  sent  Jesuit  priests  to  stay  the  progress  of 
heresy,  and  to  present  themselves  as  the  only  legitimate 


270  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

teachers  of  Christianity.  In  1858  the  Spanish  authorities 
proclaimed  the  religion  of  the  colony  to  be  that  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  although  there  was  not  a  single 
native  adherent  of  that  church  on  the  island.  All  other 
forms  of  Christianity  were  absolutely  prohibited.  Protests 
were  in  vain.  Led  by  the  Rev.  Alfred  Saker,  the  bulk  of 
the  people  determined  to  seek  freedom  of  conscience  and 
liberty  of  worship  elsewhere,  and  they  found  a  new  home 
on  the  wild  forest-covered  shores  of  Amboises  Bay,  at  the 
foot  of  the  great  mountain  of  Cameroons.  Here  the  colony 
of  Victoria  was  established,  and  amid  many  privations  and 
hardships  a  new  temple  was  raised  for  the  worship  of  the 
Lord  of  Hosts. 

Since  the  exclusion  of  the  missionaries  from  Fernando 
Po  by  the  Spanish  Government  the  operations  of  the  society 
have  been  confined  to  the  Continent.  Durino-  the  time 
when  the  slave  trade  was  rife  the  population  was  greatly 
diminished.  Entire  districts  of  the  country  were  devas- 
tated, and  the  towns  and  villages  demolished,  to  supply  the 
accursed  traffic.  Since  the  abolition  of  the  trade  the  tribes 
have  again  increased  in  numbers,  and  villages  have  been 
planted  on  the  desolated  spots. 

About  twenty  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Cameroons 
River  we  come  to  the  mission  settlements.  "  I  cannot 
describe,"  says  Mr.  Saker,  "  the  condition  in  which  I  found 
this  whole  people.  A  book  they  had  not  seen ;  the  com- 
monest implements  of  husbandry  and  tools  of  all  kinds 
Avere  unknown.  I  brought  with  me  tools  to  make  my  own 
dwelling.  Those  attracted  immediate  attention,  and  soon 
several  youths  learned  to  use  the  saw,  the  plane,  and  the 
adze.  Implements  of  husbandry,  the  spade,  and  the  hoe 
were  introduced.  Then  I  taught  them  to  cut  the  large 
timber-trees,  and  supplied  the  cross-cut  and  tlie  pit-saw,  and 
aided  them  in  sawing  till  they  could  do  it  alone.  I  taught 
them  better  modes  of  culture,   and  planted   ground  as  an 


OTHER  AFRICAN  MISSIONS.  271 


example.  I  introduced  seeds  from  other  parts  of  the  coast 
at  a  considerable  charge,  until  the  country  was  stocked  with 
the  sweet  potato,  and  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  a 
gradual  extension  of  cultivation,  with  much  less  suflfering 
from  want." 

The  missionary's  first  home  was  a  native  hut,  without 
windows,  built  of  split  bamboo,  and  thatched  with  twisted 
palm  leaf.  An  improved  dwelling  was  required,  for  health 
as  well  as  for  the  conduct  of  the  work  itself.  Mr.  Saker's 
first  attempt  at  building  was  a  framed  timber-house.  By- 
and-by  it  was  found  practicable  to  make  bricks,  and  by  slow 
degrees  he  succeeded  in  building  a  brick  dwelling,  chapel, 
and  school-house.  Strenuous  efibrts  were  made  to  acquire 
the  language.  Mr.  Saker  found  no  books  existing  to  assist 
him  in  the  study.  He  had  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  the 
words  and  of  the  elementary  forms  of  the  native  tongue  from 
the  lips  of  the  people.  Step  by  step  a  vocabulary  was 
formed,  then  came  a  grammar,  then  easy  school  books, 
and  last  of  all  the  entire  Bible  in  the  Dualla  tongue.  In 
the  printing  Mr.  Saker  had  the  assistance  of  his  daughter, 
and  of  natives  to  whom  he  had  taught  the  art.  As  the 
missionaries  acquired  fluency  of  speech  they  used  their  gift 
to  preach  the  Gospel,  and  the  preaching  was  not  without 
fvuit — one  after  another  came  forward  to  confess  the  name 
of  Christ  amid  much  persecution. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  all  this  was  done  without 
much  suffering  on  the  part  of  the  missionaries.  Their  lives 
were  often  threatened,  attempts  were  made  to  poison  them, 
and  the  practices  of  witchcraft  were  indulged  in  to  remove 
them  from  the  spot ;  but  God  was  their  shield,  and  no  harm 
befell  them.  Then  much  suffering  was  endured  from 
insufficient  food,  from  the  plundering  habits  of  the  natives, 
from  the  torrid  heat  of  the  climate,  from  weakening  fevers ; 
but  through  all  the  missionaries  persevered,  and  it  pleased 
God  to  crown  their  labours  with  success.     The  effects  of 


272  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

the  Gospel  are  not  limited  to  the  churches  that  have  heen 
formed  or  to  the  education  which  many  have  received. 
They  are  seen  in  other  ways.  Old  sanguinary  customs 
have  been  abolished  ;  witchcraft  hides  itself  in  the  recesses 
of  the  forests  which  stretch  inland ;  the  fetish  superstition 
of  the  people  is  losing  its  hold  on  them  ;  here  and  there 
are  springing  up  well-built  brick  or  timber  houses,  chiefly 
the  work  of  men  taught  in  the  mission,  the  chiefs  and 
others  of  the  people  availing  themselves  of  their  skill ; 
dress  is  become  an  article  of  necessity  among  the  Christian 
community ;  and  many  are  slowly  gathering  around  them 
the  comforts  of  civilised  life. 

Another  useful  mission  in  West  Africa  is  that  carried 
forwards  on  the  Gold  Coast  and  at  Ashantee  by  the  Basle 
Evangelical  Society.  It  has  been  in  existence  above  half  a 
century,  and  prosecutes  four  diflferent  branches  of  missionary 
work.  The  Accra  and  Tshi  languages  have  been  reduced  to 
writing,  and  the  whole  Bible  translated  into  both.  The 
Gospel  is  preached  in  nearly  every  town  and  village  of  the 
eastern  district  on  the  Gold  Coast.  From  the  besinninor 
education  has  been  regarded  as  most  important,  and  at  all 
the  stations  there  are  elementary  schools  for  male  and 
female  children.  Industrial  work  is  not  neglected.  A 
number  of  lay  missionaries  have  been  sent  out,  who  have 
opened  carpenters',  joiners',  black  and  locksmith,  and  shoe- 
makers' shops.  All  Europeans  w^ho  have  been  on  the  Gold 
Coast  acknowledge  that  the  industrial  work  of  this  mission 
has  been  an  eminent  blessing  to  the  country  and  a  powerful 
stimulus  to  the  elevation  of  the  people. 

Tiie  United  Methodist  Erce  Church  Mission  in  East 
Africa  has  been  in  existence  for  about  twenty  years.  The 
base  of  its  operations  is  Wanyikee,  and  was  selected  at  the 
suggestion  of  Dr.  Krapf.  Its  earliest  history  was  charac- 
terised by  a  great  deal  of  sorrow  and  suffering  to  the  mis- 
sionaries, of  disease,  and  in  some  instances  of  death.     One 


OTHER  AFRICAN  MISSIONS.  273 

devoted  man  died  soon  after  his  arrival,  and  the  nails  he 
had  taken  out  with  him  for  use  in  his  station  had  to  be 
employed  upon  his  coffin.  Charles  New,  another  agent  of 
this  mission,  was  a  traveller  of  some  note,  and  was  the  first 
and  only  man  that  ever  climbed  Kilimanjaro,  bringing  snow 
from  the  top  to  the  bottom  to  prove  to  the  people  that  he 
had  been  to  the  summit.  Here  again,  in  connection  with 
preaching  and  Christian  instruction,  industrial  operations 
are  carried  on.  A  mechanic  has  been  sent  out  to  teach  the 
natives  carpentery  and  building,  and  a  printer  instructs 
them  in  the  art  of  printing.  A  plough  is  also  being  used 
in  the  cultivation  of  the  land,  and  some  good  specimens  of 
cotton  have  already  been  sent  home  as  proofs  of  their  success. 
The  work  thus  begun  is  being  extended  as  rapidly  as  possible 
in  the  direction  of  the  Wapokomo,  among  the  peoples  of  the 
Galla  country. 

There  are  Christian  missions  in  Egypt  which  possess  an 
interest  peculiar  to  themselves,  having  for  their  object  the 
spiritual  benefit  of  the  natives  of  the  country,  and  persons 
from  neighbouring  countries  who  reside  there.  Dr.  Watson, 
who  has  been  labouring  there  for  upwards  of  twenty  years, 
thus  speaks  of  the  American  mission  with  which  he  is 
connected  : — "  The  Arabic-speaking  population  of  the  coun- 
ti'y  consists  of  Mohammedans,  numbering  perhaps  four  and 
a  quarter  millions,  Copts  about  three  hundred  thousand,  and 
Syrians  of  various  sects  to  the  number  of  twenty-five  thou- 
sand, together  with  a  respectable  number  of  Jews  in  the 
cities  of  Alexandria  and  Cairo.  In  our  efforts  to  reach  these 
various  classes  we  have  acted  on  the  principle  to  enter  in  at 
whatever  door  the  Lord  in  his  providence  should  open  to  us, 
rather  than  to  be  influenced  by  any  preconceived  opinion  as 
to  the  most  hopeful  class  or  the  most  interesting  sect.  It 
has  been  all  one  to  us  whether  we  were  directed  to  the  door- 
of  a  Mohammedan  or  a  Copt,  or  a  Roman  or  Greek  Catholic, 
or  a  Jew,  believing  that  all  souls  are  equally  precious  to  Him. 

18 


274  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

who  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son, 
that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him  should  not  perish  but  have 
everlasting  life. 

*'The  methods  used  for  reaching  the  people  are — the  public 
preaching  of  the  Word,  evening  meetings  for  its  study, 
visitation  from  house  to  house,  keeping  the  doors  of  our  own 
dwellings  open  to  inquiries  after  the  truth,  extensive  yearly 
tours  by  means  of  the  Nile  for  book  distribution  and  evange- 
lical work,  and  instruction  in  schools  of  various  kinds  and 
grades." 

We  cannot  close  this  brief  and  imperfect  sketch  of  Chris- 
tian work  in  Africa  without  observing,  that  within  the  last 
few  years  several  schemes  have  been  organised  and  initiated 
to  establish  important  centres  in  the  very  interior  of  the 
continent.  The  valley  of  the  Zambesi  and  the  Shire,  and 
the  country  surrounding  Lake  Nyassa,  have  been  specially 
selected  by  the  Free  Church  Missions,  and  in  connection 
with  them  the  Established  Church  and  the  United  Presby- 
terians. Lake  Tanganyika,  and  the  tract  of  country  sur- 
rounding it,  is  designed  to  be  the  scene  of  the  labours  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society.  If  we  consider  the  position  of 
the  Victoria  Nyanza,  its  distance  from  the  coast,  our  ignor- 
ance of  many  of  the  tribes  that  inhabit  its  banks,  and  the 
fact  that  some  of  them  already  regard  Europeans  as  their 
deadliest  enemies,  the  Church  Missionary  Society,  in  select- 
ing this  sphere  of  labour,  has  in  some  respects  shewn  itself 
the  most  enterprising  of  all.  The  Baptist  Missionary  Society 
has  chosen  the  Congo  as  the  route  for  its  agents  towards  the 
interior,  and  several  brave  and  devoted  men  are  already 
engaged  there  in  arduous  work.  All  Christians  of  every 
name  and  denomination  must  rejoice  in  these  new  schemes 
for  Africa.  May  the  day  soon  come  when  the  entire  popula- 
tion of  that  vast  continent  shall  be  won  for  Christ ! 


CHAPTEPw   XXYIIL 

GENERAL    SURVEY    OP    CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS    THROUGHOUT 

THE   WORLD. 

EFORE  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ascended  to  heaven,  He 
commanded  His  apostles,  and  through  them  all  His 
followers  in  every  age,  to  go  into  all  the  world  and 
preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature.  The  mission 
of  the  church  is  to  evangelise  the  world.  This  great  work 
committed  by  Christ  to  His  disciples  has  been  strangely 
delayed.  For  the  first  three  centuries  it  was  prosecuted 
with  vigour ;  the  Gospel  was  carried  into  Armenia,  Iberia, 
Arabia,  Persia,  and  even  India,  in  the  East ;  into  Ethiopia 
and  other  parts  of  Africa;  into  Gaul  and  Britain  in  the  West. 
But  this  primitive  zeal  in  propagating  the  Gospel  declined 
as  Christianity  became  corrupted,  and  as  the  church  was  con- 
verted into  a  vast  hierarchical  organisation,  and  eventually 
allied  itself  with  the  civil  power.  Even  after  its  action  was 
encumbered  by  this  alliance,  and  its  spirit  vitiated,  and  its 
life  all  but  destroyed,  its  self-propagating  power  still  shewed 
itself,  and  from  the  midst  even  of  the  corrupted  church 
light  was  sent  forth  whenever  a  new  region  was  discovered 
that  was  without  it.  The  numerical  strength  and  the  area 
of  Christendom  continued  to  increase. 


276  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


The  downfall  of  the  Roman  Empire  brought  Christianity 
and  civilisation  into  contact  with  the  tribes  of  the  ISTortli, 
and  several  of  the  German  nations  became  Christian.  Even 
during  the  dark  ages  nominal  Christianity  continued  to 
spread,  chiefly  in  the  North  of  Europe ;  occasionally,  as  in 
Russia  in  the  eleventh  century,  it  was  inaugurated  as  the 
religion  of  the  State.  Here  and  there  the  pure  Gospel  was 
kept  alive ;  now  and  then  a  sincere  and  devoted  missionary 
would  go  forth  and  labour  in  the  spirit  of  primitive  times, 
l)ut  this  long  period  witnessed  mainly  but  the  enlargement  of 
the  nominal  church  and  the  extension  of  an  ecclesiastical 
corporation,  by  no  means  the  thorough  evangelisation  of  the 
world,  much  less  the  conversion  of  mankind  to  the  faith 
and  practice  of  the  Gospel. 

The  sixteenth  century  was  the  age  of  reformation :  its  power- 
ful agitations  were  confined  within  the  pale  of  Christendom  ; 
its  work  was  renovation,  not  aggression,  although  the  Romish 
Church,  weakened  in  many  parts  of  Europe,  embarked  in 
various  projects  of  hierarchical  ambition  in  pagan  lands. 
Ignatius  Loyala  stands  pre-eminent  as  a  model  of  missionary 
zeal.  The  seventeenth  century  witnessed  occasional  incipient 
missionary  movements  among  the  Dutch,  the  Swiss,  the 
Swedes,  the  British,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  North 
American  colonies.  The  last  century  gave  birth  to  numerous 
missionary  associations,  and  reduced  to  system  the  work  of 
evangelising  the  world,  then  distinctly  recognised  as  a 
Christian  duty.  The  present  century  has  carried  out  that 
system  with  increased  zeal  and  energy,  and  on  an  enlarged 
scale  ;  has  multiplied  benevolent  associations  and  the  means 
of  prosecuting  the  work  of  missions,  and  has  established 
that  work  in  the  hearts  of  Christians  as  the  great  enterprise 
of  the  Church.  Since  apostolic  times  no  age  has  been 
so  distinguished  for  evangelistic  effort  as  that  in  which  we 
live.  Not  to  speak  of  the  home  labours  of  the  churches  of 
Christendom,  there  are  now  in  existence  in  Great  Britain, 


GENERAL  SURVEY  OF  MISSIONS.  277 

America,  on  the  continent  of  Europe,  and  in  other  parts  of 
the  world,  upwards  of  seventy  missionary  societies,  having 
for  their  special  object  the  conversion  of  the  world  to  God. 
These  societies  occupy  upwards  of  twelve  hundred  stations, 
employ  about  twelve  thousand  agents  of  all  kinds,  and  are 
supported  by  an  income  of  above  one  million  pounds 
sterling.  Through  their  instrumentality  the  Gospel  is 
preached  all  over  the  earth — in  crowded  cities,  in  the 
wilderness  and  desolate  places,  where  population  is  scant 
and  small,  and  in  the  islands  far  off  on  the  sea. 

India  has  six  hundred  missionaries,  who,  with  their  three 
hundred  native  companions,  are  abundant  in  labours — 
preaching  in  the  vernacular,  broad  systems  of  education, 
extensive  literatures  in  many  tongues,  humane  efforts  in 
famines,  pestilences,  and  pain — all  are  employed,  steadily 
and  in  faith,  to  make  known  the  good  news  of  Christ's 
saving  love.  Good  churches,  with  no  despicable  number  of 
converts,  have  been  gathered,  are  growing,  and  are  proving 
themselves  worthy  of  all  esteem.  But  the  thorough  leavening 
of  India  with  Gospel  truth  is  the  principal  feature  of  the 
great  work  carried  on  for  the  enlightenment  of  its  people, 
and  the  effect  of  it  is  wonderful  and  widespread.  Special 
advance  has  been  made  in  recent  years  in  female  education 
in  India.  The  Ladies'  Society  for  Female  Education  in  the 
East — the  pioneer  amongst  women — after  its  long  and  use- 
ful career,  still  occupies  the  foremost  place  in  this  important 
branch  of  Christian  work.  But  the  Zenana  missions  of 
many  American  and  English  societies,  and  lady  missionaries 
devoted  to  this  service,  have  greatly  multiplied  in  recent 
years,  while  wide  and  effectual  doors  into  the  homes  of 
Hindu  society  are  ever  opening  in  larger  numbers. 

The  growth  of  the  various  missions  of  the  principal 
societies  is  exceedingly  interesting  and  encouraging.  Begin- 
ning with  the  Baptists,  who  were  earliest  in  the  field,  we 
find  that  from  1850  to  the  present  time  their  converts  in  all 


278  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

the  missions  of  the  Baptist  societies  of  England  and  America, 
in  India,  Ceylon,  and  Burmah,  have  increased  from  about 
thirty  thousand  to  upwards  of  ninety  thousand ;  those  of 
the  Basle  missions  of  Germany  have  multiplied  from  a 
thousand  to  upwards  of  six  thousand  ;  those  of  the  Wesleyan 
Methodist  missions  of  England  and  America  from  seven 
thousand  to  upwards  of  twelve  thousand ;  those  of  the 
American  Board  from  three  thousand  to  thirteen  thousand ; 
those  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  belonging  to  five  societies, 
from  four  thousand  to  upwards  of  forty  thousand ;  those  of 
the  Presbyterians  of  Scotland,  England,  Ireland,  and 
America,  from  nine  hundred  to  ten  thousand ;  those  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society  from  twenty  thousand  to  forty- 
eight  thousand  ;  and  those  in  connection  with  the  Church  of 
England  from  sixty-one  thousand  to  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
four  thousand. 

A  steady  growth  is  displayed  in  all  directions.  The  in- 
direct influence  of  Christianity  in  India  is  as  remarkable  as 
the  baptism  of  converts  and  the  formation  of  Christian 
communities.  The  great  progress  in  the  enlightenment  of 
the  people ;  the  general  awakening  of  thought  throughout 
the  entire  country ;  the  wonderful  transformation  native 
society  is  undergoing ;  the  yearning  after  something  better 
than  a  religion  with  its  myriads  of  gods  can  give ;  the  eager 
desire  for  a  holier  and  purer  faith  manifest  in  many  direc- 
tions— these  changes  cannot  adequately  be  accounted  for 
except  by  the  spread  of  Christian  principles,  which  are 
enlarging  the  minds,  stimulating  the  conscience,  and 
quickening  the  religious  sense  of  the  people.  These  are 
facts  which  admit  of  no  question  or  doubt.  The  steady 
increase  on  a  high  ratio  of  Christian  converts  is  a  matter 
of  statistics,  of  careful  counting,  from  which  there  is  no 
appeal.  The  moral  growth  of  the  nation,  and  the  radical 
changes  for  the  better  which  are  taking  place  in  native 
society  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  India,  are,  as 


GENERAL  SURVEY  OF  MISSIONS.         279 

evidences  of  improvement  and  progress,  verities  from  which 
again  no  appeal  is  possible. 

Fifty  years  ago  not  a  Protestant  missionary  was  living 
within  the  bounds  of  the  Chinese  Empire,  though  a  few 
were  training  themselves  and  gaining  experience  in  its  out- 
lying colonies,  waiting  for  the  opportunity  of  entering  it, 
which  they  were  convinced  nrust  come.  Since  then,  by 
various  steps,  nine  provinces  of  the  empire  have  been 
occupied  by  settled  missionary  stations,  and  at  most  im- 
portant points — the  twelve  treaty  ports — some  forty  societies 
have  placed  bands  of  missionaries,  by  whose  constant  efforts 
their  populations  have  been  brought  under  careful  instruc- 
tion. As  the  Chinese  themselves  maintain  schools  and 
desire  the  education  of  their  children,  the  direct  preaching 
of  the  Gospel  in  the  vernacular  tongues  is  the  most  pro- 
minent feature  in  these  evangelistic  labours.  Under  this 
plan,  systematically  carried  out  in  fixed  places  by  many 
workers,  English  and  native,  some  seventy  thousand  sermons 
are  preached  in  China  in  the  course  of  each  single  year. 

The  Scriptures,  too,  are  supplied  in  ample  numbers.  No 
country  has  so  large  and  so  good  a  supply  of  sound  Christian 
literature.  Itinerancies  are  numerous,  and  in  recent  years 
the  other  nine  provinces  of  the  empire  have  been  traversed, 
and  in  part  occupied,  by  missionaries  chiefly  of  the  Inland 
Mission.  Widespread  instruction — the  leavening  of  the 
mass — has  been  a  needful  and  most  important  step  in  these 
great  missions.  But  God  has  blessed  them  also  with  true 
converts.  Thirteen  thousand  communicants,  in  a  community 
of  some  forty  thousand  Chinese  Christians,  are  an  earnest 
of  the  future  and  a  great  present  gain,  and  the  formation  of 
strong,  self-reliant  churches,  and  the  increase  of  native 
ministers  and  missionaries,  are  guarantees  that  that  future 
will  be  of  the  noblest  kind.  The  painful  famine  in  China  a 
few  years  ago  was  not  without  its  compensating  blessings. 
The  kindness  of  foreigners  produced  a  profound  impression 


280  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

upon  high  and  low,  and  thousands  of  Chinese  have,  aa 
the  result,  coine  nearer  to  Christ's  people  to  ask  about  the 
religion  from  whence  such  benevolence  springs. 

The  Rev.  W.  F.  Stevenson,  who  a  year  or  two  ago 
visited  China  and  closely  examined  the  character  of  mission 
work  in  that  country,  bears  the  following  testimony  to  the 
sincerity  of  the  converts  and  the  stability  of  the  native 
churches.  After  speaking  of  the  wonderful  results  of 
Christian  labour  in  that  land,  he  says : — '•  It  would  be  a 
profound  mistake  to  suppose  that  such  results  as  I  have 
pointed  out  are  transitory,  that  the  impressions  made  are 
shallow,  or  that  those  who  join  the  Christian  Church  are  of 
so  indifFerent  a  character  that  Christianity  has  been  little 
more  to  them  than  a  bribe.  In  a  country  like  China  it 
costs  too  much  for  a  man  to  become  a  Christian  to  make 
the  advantage  that  the  Protestant  missionary  can  offer  him 
worth  having,  for  that  at  the  most  is  a  salary  so  small  that 
he  would  be  hard  pressed  indeed  if  he  could  not  earn  more 
at  his  own  calling,  while  it  is  burdened  with  a  social  ostra- 
cism and  contempt  that  are  bitterly  felt ;  and  as  for  the 
great  bulk  of  the  Christians,  they  continue  in  their  calling — 
artizans,  farmers,  tradesmen,  whatever  it  may  be — and  with 
a  difficulty  in  making  their  livelihood  that  they  never  had 
before. 

"The  native  Christians  are  often  men  that  have  not  only 
taken  joyfully  the  spoiling  of  their  goods,  but  hazarded  their 
lives  for  the  Gospel.  'They  could  cut  off  our  heads,'  some 
grave  men  said  to  me,  'but  they  cannot  behead  Christ.'  I 
found  in  Amoy  an  elder  of  a  native  church,  diligent  in 
Christian  work,  and  earning  his  living  by  carving  olive 
stones  into  the  exquisite  bracelets  that  ladies  %vear ;  that 
man  had  been  the  best  carver  of  idols  in  the  city.  I  met 
a  theological  tutor,  a  man  of  the  highest  education  and 
culture.  He  had  gone  into  a  barber's  shop  one  day,  and 
this  barber  makes  it  a  point  to  speak  a  word  to  his  cus- 


GENERAL  SURVEY  OF  MISSIONS.  281 


tomers  for  Christ ;  so  he  spoke  to  him  of  the  Gospel,  and 
dwelt  upon  the  judgment-day,  and  what  he  said  became  the 
turning-point  in  that  man's  life.  I  have  listened  to  many 
native  sermons,  and  though  there  was  the  serious  disad- 
vantage of  hearing  only  through  an  interpreter,  who  would 
kindly  whisper  sentence  by  sentence  into  my  ear,  yet  I 
have  never  heard  more  impressive  sermons  than  some  of 
these  were — full  of  admirable  imagery,  which  was  used  to 
illustrate  evangelical  doctrine ;  and  among  the  preachers 
there  are  men  of  an  originality  and  eloquence  that  enables 
them  to  sway  their  audiences  as  famous  preachers  sway 
them  here. 

"There  are  noble-minded  and  nobly-living  women  there 
also  in  all  the  churches,  and  I  cannot  forbear  mentioning 
one  whom  I  met.  She  came  as  a  patient  to  a  missionary 
hospital,  and  as  every  helper  about  that  hospital  is  a  Chris- 
tian, it  was  not  long  till  she  heard  of  Christ,  and  though 
she  could  not  bear  at  first  to  hear  a  name  that  she  associated 
with  evil,  yet,  v/hen  after  a  few  months  she  could  leave  the 
institution  cured,  she  Avas  also  baptised.  For  some  years 
her  husband  closed  his  house  against  her,  but  her  unwearied 
patience  and  faith  prevailed ;  and  first  he,  and  then  her  son, 
then  other  relatives  were  baptised,  until  she  had  led  eleven 
oi  her  kindred  to  Christ.  I  have  found  nowhere  in  Chris- 
tian lands  men  and  women  of  a  higher  type  than  I  met  in 
China,  of  a  finer  spiritual  experience,  of  a  higher  spiritual 
tone,  or  a  nobler  spiritual  life.  Where  missions  shew  such 
fruit  they  are  beyond  the  impeachment  of  producing 
shallow  and  transitory  impressions,  and  I  came  away  with 
the  conviction  that  there  are  in  the  native  churches  in 
China  not  only  the  elements  of  stability,  but  of  that  stead- 
fast and  irresistible  revolution  that  will  carry  over  the 
whole  empire  to  the  new  faith." 

The  first    Protestant    missionaries    to    Japan   were   com- 
missioned by  American  societies,  and  reached  the  shores  of 


282  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

that  empire  in  1859  and  1860.  At  that  time  there  was  not 
one  native  of  Japan  residing  in  the  country,  so  far  as  can  be 
ascertained,  who  knew  or  imagined  that  "being  justified  by 
faith  we  have  peace  with  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ " — not  one  who  believed  in  Christ  as  his  Saviour. 
The  missionaries  found,  however,  a  very  different  state  of 
society  from  that  which  they  expected.  They  found  the 
people,  women  as  well  as  men,  generally  able  to  read  and 
write.  Everybody,  girls  and  boys  of  all  classes,  had  received 
a  fair  education.  The  people  were  intellectually  bright  and 
quick,  eager  to  learn,  inquisitive,  and  readily  apprehending 
new  truths  and  novel  facts.  The  mass  of  the  people  are 
Buddhists.  Among  all  classes  there  is  a  high  regard  for 
the  moral  teachings  of  Confucius  and  Mencius.  There  are 
about  fifty  missionaries  in  Japan,  representing  various 
societies  in  this  country  and  in  America.  Connected  with 
these  missions  there  are  about  thirty  Christian  schools  for 
girls  and  boys,  and  these  institutions  are  very  popular. 
The  holy  Scriptures  have  been  translated  into  Japanese, 
and  thousands  of  copies  distributed  to  a  large  extent  by 
sale.  The  Japanese  Christians  are  very  active  and  zealous, 
and  unusually  independent  and  self-reliant.  They  accept 
foreign  aid  reluctantly,  and  only  because  they  must.  They 
do  not  spare  themselves  in  endeavours  to  extend  the  know- 
ledge of  the  truth.  An  unusually  large  proportion  of  the 
male  members  of  the  churches  engage  in  preaching  the 
truth  as  opportunities  present  themselves.  The  amount  of 
Christian  literature  is  as  yet  limited. 

Some  tracts  have  been  published,  and  a  monthly  news- 
paper is  in  circulation.  Defences  of  Christianity  from  the 
pens  of  native  Christians,  and  from  men  intellectually 
favourable  to  Christianity  but  not  connected  with  the 
churches,  have  also  been  written.  No  one  can  tell  the 
future,  but  the  indications  at  present  are  that  the  Church 
of  Christ  will  have  a  rapid  and  vigorous  growth    amongst 


GENERAL  SURVEY  OF  MISSIONS.  283 

the  people  of  Japan.  "VVe  may  reasonably  expect  that,  if 
the  churches  of  Christian  lands  are  faithful,  the  native 
membership  in  a  generation  will  embrace  tens  of  thousands 
of  souls. 

Christian  missions  in  Burmah  began  with  the  late  Dr. 
Judson.  He  and  those  who  joined  him  devoted  all  their 
time  and  labour  for  many  years  to  the  evangelisation  of  the 
Burmese.  Their  labours  succeeded  to  a  hopeful  and  en- 
couraging degree,  but  the  chief  enlargement  of  their  work 
was  to  be  in  another  direction.  It  was  God's  plan  to  call  a 
race  who  in  times  past  were  not  a  people.  The  Karens  are 
scattered  over  all  parts  of  Burmah,  and  are  also  found  in 
Upper  Siam  and  Western  China.  They  are  generally  re- 
garded as  belonging  to  the  Caucasian  race,  though  nothing 
is  certainly  known  concerning  their  origin.  Their  name 
simply  signifies  wild  men.  They  are  distinct  from  the  Bur- 
mans,  and  in  physical  and  mental  qualities  they  are  inferior 
to  them.  They  are  a  subject  people,  and  for  generations 
have  been  cruelly  oppressed  by  the  Burmans.  Like  other 
wild  men,  they  are  wandering  and  migratory  in  their  habits, 
and  they  generally  build  their  villages  at  points  remote  from 
large  Burman  communities,  that  they  may  escape  the  cruel 
exactions  which  would  be  otherwise  made  upon  them.  Even 
when  the  Burmans  do  not  enslave  them,  they  compel  them 
to  till  their  fields  and  to  perform  all  kinds  of  menial  service. 
It  may  be  partly  from  the  desire  to  escape  these  oppressions 
that  they  have  fallen  into  the  nomadic  life  which  they 
pursue. 

It  would  not  be  correct  to  say  that  this  interesting  people 
had  no  religion,  but  they  presented  the  remarkable  spectacle 
of  a  people  without  a  priesthood  or  any  established  forms  of 
worship.  They  possessed  the  knowledge  of  many  revealed 
truths,  which  it  is  supposed  must  have  been  derived  from 
the  Hebrew  Scriptures,  or  from  the  same  Divine  source. 
They  believed  that  there  is  one  God  ',  that  man  was  created 


284  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D, 

in  a  state  of  innocence,  and  fell  through  transgression  at  the 
instigation  of  a  malignant  spirit ;  that  the  soul  is  immortal; 
and  that  there  is  a  state  of  future  rewards  and  punishments. 
Coupled  with  these  fundamental  beliefs,  there  were  certain 
singular  national  traditions  which  were  carefully  transmitted 
from  generation  to  generation.  They  were  taught  that  their 
fathers  were  the  objects  of  the  Divine  favour,  but  that  they 
had  forgotten  God,  and  wandered  from  Him,  that  they  had 
thus  lost  the  knowledge  of  His  ways,  and  that  all  their  woes 
and  oppressions  were  the  consequences  of  the  hidings  of  the 
Divine  face  from  them.  They  also  had  old  prophecies  of  a 
better  day.  White  teachers  were  to  appear  in  the  fulness 
of  time,  who  would  bring  a  book  which  would  restore  the 
lost  knowledge  of  God,  and  through  the  truth  and  guidance 
thus  obtained  they  would  again  be  blessed  with  His  presence 
and  favour. 

It  was  amongst  this  people  that  the  Gospel  was  to  succeed 
in  a  manner  almost  miraculous.  Mr.  Boardraan  baptised 
at  Tavoy  a  servant  of  his  whom  he  had  redeemed  from 
slavery,  and  who  had  given  hopeful  signs  of  conversion. 
He  was  a  Karen,  and  his  name  was  Ko-Thah-Byu.  Though 
he  was  not  converted  till  past  middle  life,  and  was  without 
culture,  he  proved  one  of  the  most  successful  preachers  of 
modern  times.  He  knew  little  more  than  that  Christ  Jesus 
came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners,  that  He  had  saved  him, 
and  that  He  will  save  all  that  believe  in  His  name.  He 
was  the  first  apostle  among  his  people.  He  went  from 
village  to  village  and  from  province  to  province  preaching 
the  Word,  the  Lord  working  with  him  mightily.  The  people 
were  prepared  by  the  presence  of  the  Spirit  as  well  as  by 
the  tendencies  of  their  traditions.  Multitudes  everywhere 
turned  to  the  Lord.  The  American  missionaries  in  connec- 
tion with  the  native  preachers  followed  up  the  work. 

The  result  of  all  this  and  of  subsequent  labours  is  that 
hundreds  of  Christian  churches  have  been  formed,  and  are 


GENERAL  SURVEY  OF  MISSIONS.  285 

served  by  an  efficient  body  of  native  pastors  and  teachers. 
The  number  of  Karen  churches  on  1st  January  1877  was 
four  hundred  and  seven.  Seventy-one  of  these  churches 
were  served  by  ordained  preachers,  the  others  were  under 
the  care  of  missionaries  or  of  unordained  preachers.  Two- 
thirds  of  these  churches  maintain  Christian  schools,  in 
which  between  four  and  five  thousand  children  and  youths 
are  under  instruction.  The  Karen  villages  now  dotting  the 
surface  of  British  Burmah,  whether  Christian  or  heathen, 
may  be  counted  among  the  natural  results  of  Karen  evan- 
gelisation ;  for  the  security  and  prosperity  of  the  Christian 
settlements  have  not  been  without  their  influence  on  vast 
numbers  who  have  not  yet  received  the  Gospel.  Multitudes 
are  sharers  in  the  temporal  benefits  of  Christianity  who 
have  not  entered  into  the  blessings  of  the  spiritual  life. 

The  present  condition  of  Christian  missions  in  Polynesia 
is  such  as  to  call  forth  the  liveliest  gratitude  to  God.  In 
that  part  of  the  world,  including  Hawaii,  the  seven  great 
groups  of  islands  best  known  to  Englishmen  have  become 
nominally  Christian.  In  these  and  their  attached  groups 
some  four  hundred  thousand  converts,  including  ninety 
thousand  communicants,  have  been  brought  into  the  Church 
of  Christ.  These  are  largely  under  the  instruction  of  native 
p'astors  paid  by  themselves.  Four  aggressive  missions  are 
now  at  work  in  Western  Polynesia,  one  chief  element  of 
which  is  the  strong  force  which  they  contain  of  native 
missionaries.  In  most  of  the  older  missions  Christianity 
has  become  a  power  for  good  over  the  people  generally. 
Public  morality  has  become  benefited  by  it.  The  political, 
social,  and  domestic  life  of  the  people  has  to  a  greater  or 
less  extent  received  a  more  healthy  moral  tone.  It  is 
o-enerally  considered  to  be  respectable  to  conform,  at  least 
outwardly,  to  the  observances  of  religion.  The  Sabbath  is 
usually  strictly  observed.  Nearly  all  the  people  make  a 
practice  of  attending  public  worship  at  least  once  on  the 


286  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D,D. 

Lord's  day.  Family  worship  is  almost  universally  observed. 
Nearly  all  the  people  are  able  to  read,  and  indeed  they 
do  read  God's  word,  which  they  possess  in  their  own 
languages. 

A  most  interesting  mission  field  is  Madagascar.  The 
Jesuits  had  a  mission  there  in  the  seventeenth  century,  and 
have  had  influence,  more  or  less,  over  portions  of  the  island 
for  nearly  two  hundred  years  past ;  but  their  mission  has 
not  produced  any  permanent  effect  on  the  country,  and  this 
may  be  easily  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  they  never 
gave  the  people  the  Word  of  God.  They  gave  them  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  the  Hail  Mary,  the  Ten  Commandments — 
with  the  second,  of  course,  left  out — and  short  portions  of 
the  Bible,  but  they  never  gave  them  so  much  as  a  single 
book  either  of  the  Old  or  New  Testament. 

Protestant  missions  date  from  1820,  and  the  work  may 
be  divided  into  three  periods — that  of  planting  the  Gospel, 
that  of  persecution,  and  that  of  progress.  The  first  of  these 
lasted  sixteen  years,  the  second  twenty-five  years,  and  the 
last  now  twenty  years.  The  men  who  began  the  work  laid 
the  foundations  upon  which  present  labourers  have  been 
building  for  several  years  past.  They  did  a  noble  work : 
they  reduced  the  language  to  writing ;  they  gave  the  people 
their  own  tongue  in  a  written  form ;  they  translated  and 
printed  the  whole  Word  of  God ;  they  gave  the  people  an 
educational  system,  provided  them  with  a  considerable 
literature,  and  taught  thera  many  of  the  useful  arts  of 
civilised  life.  Their  labours  laid  that  firm  foundation  which 
resisted  for  twenty-five  years  all  that  a  heathen  queen 
could  do  to  root  religion  out  of  the  land.  The  results  are 
patent  to  any  intelligent  and  honest  traveller  who  may 
pass  through  the  country.  There  are  undeniable  facts  to 
shew  that  Christianity  is  now  exerting  a  real  influence 
upon  the  social  life  of  the  people.  It  is  introducing  civilisa- 
tion and  opening  up  commerce  in  a  way  unmistakable  to 


GENERAL  SURVEY  OF  MISSIONS.         287 

those  who  know  what  the  country  was  a  few  years  ago,  and 
can  contrast  it  with  its  position  at  the  present  time.  In 
1863  there  was  not  a  single  European  house  of  business  in 
the  capital.  Now  there  are  a  number  of  them,  and  trade  is 
extending  largely  along  the  eastern  coast.  With  regard  to 
the  clothing,  dwellings,  and  other  matters  affecting  social 
life,  there  has  been  a  wonderful  advance  during  the  last 
twelve  years. 

The  tone  of  morals,  too,  is  greatly  improved.  The  people 
were  very  immoral,  and  are  so  still  where  the  Gospel  is  not 
known.  Chastity  and  purity  were  almost  unknown  things; 
but  now,  in  the  central  province  of  Imerina,  polygamy  may 
be  said  to  have  disappeared.  The  merciful  influence  of  the 
Gospel  is  seen  in  the  abolition  of  cruel  customs  and  laws. 
By  the  old  code  of  laws  in  force  during  the  time  of  the 
persecuting  queen,  a  great  number  of  ofiences  were  punished 
by  death,  and  the  wife  and  family  of  a  delinquent  were  re- 
duced to  slavery.  That  has  all  passed  away.  The  law  by 
which  soldiers  were  burned  alive  for  running  away  in  battle 
is  also  now  a  thing  of  the  past.  Thus  the  loving  and  bene- 
ficent influence  of  the  Gospel  is  doing  away  with  the  old 
cruel  habits  of  the  people.  Christianity  is  spreading  through 
a  great  portion  of  the  country,  and  it  can  only  be  a  matter 
of  time  for  the  whole  island  to  be  brought  to  the  knowledge 
of  Jesus  Christ 

About  a  thousand  miles  north  of  New  Zealand  lie  the 
group  of  islands  called  the  New  Hebrides,  extending  about 
three  hundred  miles  from  south-east  to  north-west.  Here 
there  is  an  important  mission  supported  by  the  Free  Church 
of  Scotland  and  the  Presbyterian  Churches  of  Canada,  New 
Zealand,  and  Australia.  It  has  been  one  of  the  most  diflicult 
mission  fields  in  the  South  Seas.  One  great  difficulty  is 
the  low  and  degraded  state  of  the  natives,  all  the  cruelties 
and  all  the  abominations  of  heathenism  were  found  rampant 
among  them ;  they  were  ignorant  and  superstitious  in  the 


288  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

extreme,  with  an  unwavering  faith  in  the  power  of  witch- 
craft. Another  difficulty  arises  from  the  unhealthiness  of 
the  climate.  Fever  and  ague  prevail  on  nearly  all  the 
islands.  White  men  and  natives  of  other  groups  are  alike 
subject  to  it.  In  every  swamp,  in  every  valley,  and  in  every 
thicket  lurks  the  invisible,  mysterious  malaria.  A  third 
difficulty  is  the  number  of  languages.  There  are  not  fewer 
than  twenty  diffiirent  languages  spoken  in  the  group,  every 
one  as  different  from  all  the  rest  as  English  is  from  Gaelic, 
or  as  Latin  is  from  Greek.  And  a  fourth  difficulty  is  the 
operation  of  an  unsanctified  commerce.  The  islands  are  now 
in  danger  of  being  deluged  with  intoxicating  drinks. 
Referring  to  the  way  in  which  these  difficulties  liave  been 
met,  one  of  the  missionaries  says  : — "  We  have  ascertained 
to  a  great  extent  the  laws  of  health,  and  can  thus  ward  off 
a  great  amount  of  preventible  sickness.  We  have  mastered 
among  us,  somewhat  fully,  nine  of  the  languages,  and  can 
thus  make  known  to  the  natives  in  their  own  tongues  the 
way  of  salvation.  The  sandal-wood  trade  is  over,  and  the 
liquor  traffic,  though  not  suppressed,  is  greatly  modified  ; 
and  to  meet  the  evils  of  the  foreign  knaves,  as  the  natives 
call  alcoholic  drinks,  all  our  twelve  missionaries  are  total 
abstainers." 

The  large  island  of  New  Guinea  is  now  creating  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  interest  in  the  commercial  and  scientific 
w^orlds ;  and  both  from  its  size  and  from  its  proximity  to 
Australia — from  which  it  is  only  separated  by  Torres  Straits 
— and  from  its  probable  mineral  wealth,  it  must  come  to 
occupy  an  important  place  in  the  consideration  of  all  men. 
To  the  Christian  philanthropist,  above  all,  it  is  a  country  of 
great  interest.  The  population  of  New  Guinea  is  composed 
of  an  immense  number  of  races,  among  whom  the  London 
Missionary  Society  have  within  the  last  ten  years  begun 
evangelising  labour.  Mr.  Lawes,  one  of  the  leaders  in  this 
work,  thus  describes  the  field  : — "  Our  mission  extends  from 


GENERAL  SURVEY  OF  MISSIONS.  289 


TJle  Island  to  the  eastern  extremity  of  New  Guinea ;  and 
even  there  we  have  an  immense  admixture  of  races,  though 
all  of  them  I  believe,  from  their  appearance,  from  their 
customs,  and  from  their  condition  and  languages,  belong  to 
the  Malayo  Polynesian  family.  We  have  a  great  number 
of  sub-divisions  among  them.  When  I  tell  you  that  I 
know  of  twenty-five  different  languages  spoken  on  the  three 
hundred  miles  of  coast  with  which  I  am  acquainted,  you 
will  form  some  idea  of  how  New  Guinea  is  split  up  and 
divided.  We  find  the  people  in  a  primitive  state,  which  we 
almost  fancy  in  this  nineteenth  century  had  become  totally 
extinct.  We  find  there  the  old  lake  villages,  and  there  is 
still  the  stone  age  in  full  operation.  I  know  of  no  vessel, 
implement,  tool,  or  weapon  made  of  metal  which  they 
employ.  It  is  the  stone  age  yet,  and  everything  else  agrees 
with  this. 

"  Morally,  we  find  what  we  should  expect — viz.,  the  people 
low  and  degraded,  but  by  no  means  so  much  so  as  those  wo 
have  had  to  do  with  in  some  other  parts  of  the  world  where 
they  are  now  Christians.  Liars,  thieves,  and  murderers 
they  are ;  but  it  is  not  the  existence  of  these  things  that 
causes  one  so  much  surprise  as  the  utter  absence  of  any- 
thing like  what  may  be  called  a  tone  of  public  opinion  by 
which  these  vices  could  be  at  all  stigmatised  or  the  evil-doer 
be  disgraced.  They  would  unblushingly  bring  back  the 
goods  they  have  stolen  from  you,  and  offer  them  for  sale, 
without  even  an  atom  of  shame.  Religiously,  the  darkness 
is  darkness  which  can  be  felt  but  cannot  be  described." 

Of  the  methods  the  missionaries  employ  to  alter  this  state 
of  things,  Mr.  Lawes  thus  speaks : — "  I  have  had  personally 
sufficient  experience  during  eleven  years'  residence  on 
Savage  Island,  in  the  South  Pacific,  to  know  where  we 
ought  to  begin.  Men  who  never  tried  the  experiment  may 
believe  in  civilising  agencies.  But  we  who  have  tried  them 
may  be  pardoned  if  we  decline  to  try  the  experiment  over 

19 


290  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

again.  The  very  agencies  that  are  depended  upon  we  find 
to  be  fruitless.  Clothe  the  natives,  and  they  do  not  know- 
how  to  use  clothes.  I  have  given  them  a  good  Birmingham 
hatchet,  and  had  it  returned  rather  than  they  would  give 
up  their  stone  ones.  If  there  is  no  hope  for  them  without 
civilisation  and  civilising  agencies,  then  the  salvation  of 
New  Guinea  I  believe  to  be  hopeless.  But  my  experience 
amongst  tribes  and  races  such  as  these  warrants  me  in 
believing  strongly  that  with  them  also  the  Gospel  is  the 
power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth.  In 
the  early  days  of  a  mission  like  that  of  New  Guinea,  very 
little  dependence  can  be  placed  on  oral  teaching.  I  believe 
strongly,  more  strongly  now  than  ever,  in  the  power  of  a 
consistent  Christian  life." 

Let  us  pass  from  New  Guinea  to  the  West  Indies.  The 
population  of  the  twelve  following  islands  and  their  depen- 
dencies—  viz.,  Jamaica,  the  Bahamas,  the  Virgin  Isles, 
Antigua,  Montserrat,  Barbadoes,  St.  Vincent's,  Grenada, 
Tobago,  Trinidad,  and  Dominica,  amounts  to  something 
above  one  million.  The  first  settlers  in  the  chief  of  these 
islands  were  members  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  that 
form  of  the  Christian  faith  was  established  in  them.  Its 
spiritual  labours  were,  however,  mainly  confined  to  the 
Europeans  or  planters,  and  only  in  rare  cases  was  any 
attempt  made  to  instruct  the  slave  either  in  secular  know- 
ledge or  in  Christianity.  The  Moravians  were  the  first 
religious  body  to  visit  the  West  Indies  in  1734,  and  in  the 
island  of  St.  Thomas  they  commenced  their  self-denying 
efforts  to  give  the  oppressed  negro  the  comfort  of  the  words 
of  eternal  life.  In  1778  the  Wesley ans  opened  their  very 
successful  labours  in  the  West  Indies  in  Antigua,  and  in 
1814  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society  sent  its  first  missionary 
to  Jamaica.  If  much  had  not  been  done  by  the  Church  of 
England  towards  the  evangelising  of  the  slaves,  it  must  be 
remembered  that  the  malign  genius  of  the  system  of  slavery 


GENERAL  SURVEY  OF  MISSIONS.  291 

■vras  adverse  to  the  attempt.  In  fact,  whatever  Christian 
agencies  existed,  they  were  of  the  most  meagre  sort.  Only 
here  and  there  did  a  planter  or  a  converted  free  negro 
put  forth  any  efforts  to  bring  the  slaves  under  Christian 
instruction. 

Utterly  neglected,  without  the  opportunity  or  the  means 
of  learning,  the  negroes  for  the  most  part  practised  the 
fetishism  of  their  native  land,  and  were  sunk  in  the  most 
degrading  lusts  and  superstitions.  Marriage  was  scarcely 
known  amongst  them  The  constant  sales  of  the  slave- 
stock  of  the  estates  broke  up  every  family  tie  that  had  been 
formed.  Concubinage  with  all  its  evils  became  the  normal 
practice  of  the  people,  and  its  mischief  invaded  the  home  of 
their  better-instructed  masters.  Then  came  the  struggle 
for  freedom.  It  was  long  and  severe,  but  ended  at  length 
in  emancipation.  The  munificent  gift  of  twenty  millions 
sterling  by  the  British  Parliament  set  every  slave  free. 
With  freedom  came  the  fullest  opportunity  for  the  play  of 
moral  and  Christian  agencies,  devoted  to  the  social  and 
religious  elevation  of  the  emancipated  people. 

Since  emancipation,  the  West  Indian  Colonies  have  expe- 
rienced great  fluctuations ;  nevertheless  there  has  been  great 
progress.  Education  has  been  largely  promoted,  especially  so 
in  Jamaica.  This  is  greatly  owing  to  the  hearty  co-operation 
of  the  missionaries.  On  this  point  we  may  take  the  remarks 
of  the  inspector  of  schools  in  Jamaica  as  generally  applicable 
throughout  the  British  West  Indies.  He  says  the  Govern- 
ment system  "has  enlisted  the  sympathy  and  hearty  co- 
operation of  the  most  influential  men  of  the  community — 
viz.,  the  ministers  of  all  the  religious  societies  in  the  island. 
To  their  valuable  assistance  as  school-managers  must  be 
attributed  in  a  great  measure  the  success  that  has  attended 
the  carrying  out  of  the  system."  Since  emancipation,  too, 
the  means  of  public  worship  have  very  largely  increased. 
From  reliable  sources,  it  appears  that  fully  one  quarter  of  the 


292  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

population  may  be  regarded  as  regular  frequenters  of  the 
means  of  grace  supplied  by  the  various  denominations.  It 
is  not  possible  to  estimate  with  accuracy  how  many  of  the 
hearers  of  the  Gospel  are  actually  in  full  communion  with 
the  churches.  It  may,  however,  be  safely  affirmed  that  at 
least  eighty-five  thousand  individuals  observe  the  great 
eucharistic  ordinance  of  the  Christian  Church. 

We  must  not  omit  from  this  sketch  the  efforts  of  American 
Christians  in  the  Ottoman  Empire.  When  the  attention 
of  American  Christians  was  first  turned  to  the  Ottoman 
Empire  as  a  field  for  missionary  efibrt,  it  included,  with  its 
tributary  provinces,  portions  of  three  continents.  It  com- 
bined the  greatest  variety  of  soil  and  climate ;  it  stretched 
across  the  highways  of  the  world's  commerce,  and  embraced 
in  its  wide  domain  the  earliest  seats  of  civilisation  and  the 
scenes  of  greatest  interest  recorded  in  secular  and  sacred 
history.  It  presented  to  the  world  a  most  remarkable 
•conglomerate  of  races,  languages,  and  religions,  without 
^sympathy  one  with  another,  all  subject  to  an  unenlightened 
and  often  barbarous  despotism.  It  had  a  population  in 
all  estimated  at  thirty-five  millions,  of  whom  about  twelve 
millions  were  known  as  Christian  descendants  for  the  most 
part  of  those  who,  in  the  early  days  of  the  Church,  had 
accepted  the  Gospel.  Degenerated,  degraded,  sunk  in  ignor- 
ance and  superstition,  they  were  yet  holding  fast  to  the 
Christian  name,  to  which,  though  with  little  sense  of  its 
spiritual  import,  they  had  clung  through  centuries  of 
oppression.  It  was  to  this  empire,  the  head  and  front  of 
the  Mahommedan  world,  long  the  deadly  and  unrelenting 
foe  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  that  the  American  Board  sent 
their  first  missionaries  nearly  sixty  years  ago. 

Ever  since  its  first  establishment  this  mission  has  con- 
tinued to  grow  and  prosper.  It  is  now  represented  by  one 
hundred  and  thirty-two  devoted  men  and  women  from  the 
churches  and  best  institutions  of  learning  in  America ;  by 


GENERAL  SURVEY  OF  MISSIONS.  293 

over  five  hundred  native  preachers  and  teachers  in  active 
service  ;  by  ninety-two  churches,  with  a  membership  of  over 
five  thousand ;  by  twenty  higher  institutions  of  learning — 
colleges,  seminaries,  and  boarding-schools — with  an  attend- 
ance of  over  eight  hundred  youth  of  both  sexes ;  by  three 
hundred  common  schools,  with  an  attendance  of  over  eleven 
thousand  ;  by  two  hundred  and  eighty-five  places  of  worship 
scattered  as  so  many  light-centres  through  the  land,  from 
the  Balkans  to  the  Bosphorus,  and  from  the  Bosphorus  to 
the  Tigris,  where  Sabbath  after  Sabbath  over  twenty-five 
thousand  men  and  women  are  gathered  to  listen  to  the 
Gospel  message  ;  by  the  Scriptures,  in  the  various  languages 
of  the  people,  now  distributed  by  tens  of  thousands  of 
copies ;  and  a  Christian  literature,  from  Sabbath-school 
lesson  papers  up  to  elaborate  volumes  on  the  evidences  of 
religion  and  the  history  of  the  Church — all  now  confirmed 
by  the  living  examples  of  the  power  of  the  Gospel.  These 
are  the  moral  forces  now  brought  into  the  field,  the  heritage 
of  the  patient  labours  and  prayers  of  American  Christians 
of  the  past  sixty  years. 

Then  there  is  the  Indian  Archipelago.  There  are  at 
present  about  fifty  Dutch  missionaries  at  work  belonging  to 
eight  diflferent  societies,  and  scattered  almost  over  the  whole 
archipelago — on  Sumatra,  Java,  Bali,  Celebes,  Almaheira, 
and  some  smaller  islands.  In  the  Minnahassa,  forming  a 
part  of  the  Island  of  Celebes,  of  a  population  of  about  one 
hundred  and  fourteen  thousand,  upwards  of  eighty  thousand 
are  converts  to  the  Christian  faith,  or  form,  as  children,  parts 
of  Christian  families.  Heathenism  has  in  consequence  lost 
there  its  signification  and  its  influence.  No  less  than  two 
hundred  congregations  are  under  the  care  of  the  mission- 
aries and  of  twenty-two  native  evangelists ;  and  there  are  a 
hundred  and  twenty-five  schools,  the  teachers  of  which  are 
at  the  same  time  catechists.  In  consequence,  civilisation 
has  reached  a  comparatively  high  degree.     The  schools  and 


294  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

churches  are  regularly  visited  by  children  and  adults 
decently  dressed ;  and  it  is  a  delight  to  see  how  order  and 
prosperity  reign  everywhere.  From  an  ignorant,  super- 
stitious, abject  population,  divided  by  hostilities  and  feuds, 
they  have  grown  into  a  nation,  feeling  that  they  have  the 
same  interest,  that  they  are  sons  and  daughters  of  the  same 
country,  many  of  them  sons  and  daughters  of  the  Most 
High  God.  Family  life  has  a  new  aspect;  husband  and 
wife  no  longer  leaving  each  other  for  the  slightest  reason, 
live  together  in  harmony  and  care  for  their  children. 
Whereas  formerly  numerous  families  lived  together  in  large 
barracks  built  upon  high  poles,  difficult  of  access  for  fear  of 
the  attacks  of  neighbouring  tribes,  now  every  family  lives 
in  its  own  cottage,  neatly  built,  open  to  any  visitor,  where 
the  missionary  is  received  with  decency  and  delight. 

There  are  many  other  smaller  fields  of  missionary  labour, 
every  one  presenting  its  own  peculiar  features  of  interest 
and  importance.  Among  the  Indian  tribes  of  North 
America,  once  thought  so  dull  and  hopeless,  whether  on  the 
North- West  Coast,  scattered  over  the  broad  plains  of 
Manitoba,  or  settled  on  the  Keserves  of  the  United  States, 
many  thousands  of  converts  have  been  gathered,  and  in 
some  of  these  tribes  there  are  no  heathen  left.  There  are 
missionaries  among  the  Afghans,  in  Ceylon,  in  Greenland, 
in  Patagonia — almost  every  country  of  the  habitable  globe. 
They  are  wonderfully  and  wisely  located ;  they  are  settled 
at  the  most  important  points  in  the  wider  realms  open  to 
their  efibrts.  They  are  exerting  a  moral  influence — are 
making  spiritual  impressions,  and  are  breaking  down  the 
ancient  heathen  religions  with  a  power  infinitely  greater 
than  the  churches  which  maintain  them  are  at  all  aware. 
One  fact  of  supreme  moment  must  be  stated  here,  and 
should  be  borne  in  mind,  that  in  connection  with  all  this 
Christian  effort  the  holy  Scriptures  are  at  the  present 
time   printed   and   read   in   two   hundred   and   twenty-six 


GENERAL  SURVEY  OF  MISSIONS.         295 

modern  languages,  and  that  from  the  importance  of  many  of 
those  tongues,  such  as  English  and  German,  French  and 
Russ,  Bengali  and  Chinese,  those  Scriptures  have  now 
became  available  to  three-fourths  of  the  population  of  the 
globe. 

We  see  from  the  foregoing  sketch  of  Christian  missions 
throughout  the  world  that  there  has  been  progress — rapid, 
great,  encouraging  progress.  And  yet  the  evangelising  of 
the  world,  rightly  viewed,  is  to  be  looked  upon  rather  as 
a  work  which  has  been  and  yet  is  retarded,  than  as  a  work 
progressing  rapidly  toward  completion — as  a  work  which 
ought  long  since  to  have  been  done,  but  which  has  been 
and  yet  is  unworthily  delayed.  How  strange  that  after 
eighteen  hundred  years,  with  the  known  will  of  Christ  that 
His  Gospel  should  be  everywhere  proclaimed,  and  with  the 
facilities  afforded  in  every  age  for  doing  that  work,  it  should 
still  be  true,  that  the  world — the  great  preponderating  mass 
of  mankind — still  lieth  in  wickedness.  To  use  the  words 
of  John  Foster :  "  Christianity,  after  labouring  for  eighteen 
centuries,  is  at  the  present  hour  known,  and  even  nominally 
acknowledged,  by  very  greatly  the  minority  of  the  race,  the 
mighty  mass  remaining  prostrate  under  the  infernal  dominion 
of  which  countless  generations  of  their  ancestors  have  been 
ihe  slaves  and  victims — a  deplorable  majority  of  the  people 
in  the  Christian  nations  strangers  to  the  vital  power  of 
Christianity,  and  a  large  proportion  directly  hostile  to  it, 
while  its  progress  in  the  work  of  conversion,  in  even  the 
most  favoured  part  of  the  world,  is  distanced  by  the  pro- 
gressive increase  of  the  population." 

When  we  consider  the  earnestness  of  Clirist's  command, 
the  largeness  of  His  promise,  the  wisdom  and  munificence  of 
His  arrangements,  and  the  intensity  of  His  desires  in  respect 
to  the  conversion  of  the  world,  we  can  find  a  solution  of  the 
painful  mystery  of  its  delay  only  in  some  hindrance  on  the 
part  of  those  who  are  commissioned  to  fulfil  the  mighty  plan. 


296  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D,D. 


The  kingdom  of  Christ  has  been  retarded  in  various  ways 
by  the  social  and  political  condition  of  the  world.  And  yet 
Christianity  would  have  proved  itself  ere  this  to  be  the  great 
reforming  power  in  the  political  and  the  social  institutions 
of  men,  had  not  its  influence  been  crippled  and  arrested  by 
some  other  cause  than  those  institutions  themselves.  The 
full  power  of  Christianity  in  opposition  to  all  false  systems 
of  religion,  of  government,  and  of  social  organisation,  has 
not  yet  been  proved ;  for  the  condition  of  the  exercise  of  that 
power — namely,  a  lively  Christian  faith,  imparting  vitality 
and  efficiency  to  the  appointed  instrument  of  the  work,  has 
not  been  fulfilled  on  the  part  of  the  Church. 

There  are  several  fundamental  facts  involved  in  the  mis- 
sionary enterprise  in  respect  to  which  there  is  a  large  amount 
of  scepticism  in  the  Church.  There  is  scepticism  with  respect 
to  the  actual  condition  of  the  heathen  world.  That  the  hea- 
then are  for  the  most  part  in  a  state  of  deep  moral  and  social 
degradation  is  beginning  to  be  generally  understood.  Their 
true  condition  was  long  hidden  from  Christian  people.  Mere 
secular  travellers  gave  us  entertaining  accounts  of  the  man- 
ners and  customs  of  different  nations,  with  occasional  outlines 
of  their  philosophical  tenets  or  their  religious  belief,  and 
sketches  of  their  sacred  places  and  institutions  and  modes  of 
worship ;  but  they  seldom  described  the  general  state  of 
morals,  or  held  up  to  reprobation  their  prevailing  vices  and 
crimes.  Commercial  residents  in  heathen  lands  generally 
visit  them  for  a  single  object — the  purpose  of  gain;  they 
seldom  contemplate  a  permanent  residence  ;  they  commonly 
acquire  but  a  superficial  knowledge  of  the  language,  the 
literature,  the  religion  and  the  morals  of  the  country.  It 
was  not  till  Christian  missionaries  went  among  the  heathen 
that  the  moral  state  of  the  world  became  truly  known.  That 
state  is  one  not  merely  of  degradation,  but  also  of  guilt. 
Only  in  proportion  as  we  believe  this  shall  we  earnestly 
seek  to  save  the  heathen.     There  is  scepticism  in  some  minds 


GENERAL  SURVEY  OF  MISSIONS,         297 


as  to  God's  purpose  to  have  the  world  evangelised  and  con- 
verted to  Himself.  Admitting  that  the  heathen  are  in  a 
state  of  guilt  and  condemnation,  and  on  that  account  are 
proper  objects  for  Christian  sympathy  and  effort,  it  is  still 
questioned  by  some  whether  the  plan  of  redemption  in  its 
final  results  comprehends  the  conversion  of  the  world  at 
large.  Scepticism  in  respect  to  missionary  work  is  further  de- 
veloped in  doubts  and  queries  as  to  the  proper  time  for  attempt- 
ing to  evangelise  the  world.  Some  contend  that  the  world 
must  be  civilised  before  we  attempt  to  spread  the  Gospel, 
and  others  that  Christ's  second  advent  must  precede  such  an 
event.  Then  there  is  another  topic  in  connection  with  the 
missionary  enterprise,  respecting  which  there  is  not  a  little 
scepticism  in  the  Church,  that  is  the  practicability  of  evan- 
gelising the  world  at  all  by  any  known  instrumentalities. 

Such  scepticism  paralyses  the  arm  of  the  church.  If  one 
is  in  doubt  whether  the  heathen  would  really  be  benefited  by 
the  Gospel — if  he  does  not  feel  that  they  are  in  perishing 
need  of  it — of  course  he  will  do  little  or  nothing  to  send  it  to 
them.  If  one  is  in  doubt  whether  God  really  intends  to 
accomplish  the  conversion  of  the  world  to  Himself,  whether 
it  is  His  will  that  the  Gospel  should  be  everywhere  pro- 
pagated, of  course  he  will  scarcely  make  an  attempt  to 
evangelise  the  world.  If  one  is  in  doubt  whether  this  is  the 
time  for  engaging  in  this  work,  he  will  not  engage  in  it 
heartily,  if  at  all.  If  one  has  little  confidence  in  the  present 
means,  he  will  act  with  little  energy  or  keep  aloof  from  such 
impracticable  schemes.  Thus  the  work  is  crippled  on  every 
hand  by  unbelief.  Unbelief,  besides  restraining  the  energies 
of  the  Church,  incapacitates  those  who  indulge  it  for  appre- 
ciating the  work  of  the  Lord,  and  for  rendering  Him  the 
glory  which  is  His  due.  Viewed  as  a  check  upon  Christian 
activity,  unbelief  is  without  doubt  one  of  the  great  hin- 
drances to  the  missionary  work. 

Such  unbelief  is  unreasonable  and  wicked.     Look  at  the 


298  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 


course  of  providence  in  relation  to  the  missionary  enter- 
prise, especially  of  recent  years.  In  no  period  of  the  history 
of  Christianity  has  the  providence  of  God  been  more  marked 
than  of  late  years  in  its  bearing  on  the  extension  of  the 
Redeemer's  kingdom.  What  facilities  we  have  for  com- 
munication with  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  with  what 
security  missionaries  can  now  labour  in  almost  any  part  of 
the  globe  !  How  has  the  British  Empire,  like  the  Roman 
Empire  of  old,  made  a  highway  among  the  nations  and 
across  the  seas  for  the  advance  of  Christianity  !  How  large 
a  portion  of  the  globe  appears  to  be  placed  by  Providence 
at  the  disposal  of  Christendom  !  God  is  indicating  to  His 
people  their  duty,  and  also  His  readiness  to  do  mighty 
works  by  their  instrumentality.  What  is  needed  and  what 
is  warranted,  so  that  the  Gospel  may  be  preached  "  in  the 
regions  beyond,"  is  an  increase  of  faith.  And  this  increase 
of  faith  all  Christians  should  seek  to  obtain. 

One  wise  and  important  method  for  strengthening  faith 
in  missionary  operations  is  to  make  ourselves  familiar  witli 
them.  Read  the  letters  and  statements  of  missionaries  ;  the 
Reports  of  missionary  societies  ;  the  lives  of  such  men  as 
John  Williams,  Adonirara  Judson,  William  Burns,  Robert 
Moffat ;  or  if  there  be  an  objection  to  missionary  literature 
as  one-sided  and  partial,  then  we  might  take  the  testimony 
of  competent  independent  witnesses — such  as  that  given 
by  Commander  Hood  in  his  "Cruise  of  H.M.S.  Faivn." 
Speaking  of  what  he  saw  in  the  Samoan  group  of  islands, 
he  says  that  the  "  rigid  observance  of  Sunday  presents  a 
rather  humiliating  contrast  with  its  profanation  in  more 
favoured  regions.  Our  amusements  were  suddenly  sus- 
pended by  hearing  the  master  of  the  house  commence 
singing  the  evening  hymn,  in  which  most  of  the  assembly, 
taking  their  books  out  of  their  waistcloths,  joined ;  and  we 
removing  our  hats  also,  added  our  voices  to  the  best  of  our 
ability,  hymn-books  being  handed  to  us.     The  psalm  finished. 


GENERAL  SURVEY  OF  MISSIONS.         299 

our  host  made  a  long  extempore  prayer,  the  Lord's  prayer 
concluding  the  service.  It  certainly  was  a  striking  scene — 
half-a-dozen  unarmed  Englishmen  sitting  here  in  the  midst 
of  a  crowd  of  half-naked  islanders,  and  receiving  a  lesson 
of  this  kind  from  people  so  lately  designated  '  ferocious 
savages.'" 

Take  again  the  testimony  of  "Mr.  Thompson,  who,  during 
his  eight  years'  residence  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
travelled  much  in  the  interior,  and  who  was  neither  a 
missionary  nor  connected  with  any  missionary  society.  He 
says : — "  Having  now  visited  the  whole  of  the  missionary 
stations  in  Southern  Africa,  it  may  not  be  improper  to  ex- 
press in  a  few  words  the  opinion  I  have  formed  regarding 
them.  I  may  safely  affirm  that,  at  every  missionary  station 
I  have  visited,  instruction  in  the  arts  of  civilised  life,  and 
in  the  knowledge  of  pure  and  practical  religion,  go  hand-in- 
hand.  It  is  true  that  among  the  more  savage  tribes  of 
Bushmen,  Korannas,  and  Bechuanas  the  progress  of  the 
missions  has  hitherto  been  exceedingly  slow  and  circum- 
scribed. But  persons  who  have  visited  these  tribes,  and 
are  best  qualified  to  appreciate  the  difficulties  to  be  sur- 
mounted in  instructing  and  civilising  them,  will,  if  they  are 
not  led  away  by  prejudice,  be  far  more  disposed  to  admire 
the  exemplary  fortitude,  patience,  and  perseverance  of  the 
missionaries  than  to  speak  of  them  with  contempt  and 
contumely. 

"  These  devoted  men  are  found  in  the  remotest  deserts, 
accompanying  the  wild  and  wandering  savages  from  place 
to  place,  destitute  of  almost  every  comfort,  and  at  times 
without  even  the  necessaries  of  life.  Some  of  them  have, 
without  murmuring,  spent  their  whole  lives  in  such  service. 
Let  those  who  consider  missions  as  idle  or  unavailing  visit 
Gnadenthal,  Bethelsdorp,  Theopolis,  the  Caffire  Stations, 
Griqua  Town,  Kamiesberg,  etc. ;  let  them  view  what  has 
been  effected  at  these  institutions  for  tribes  of  the  nations, 


300  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

oppressed,  neglected,  or  despised  by  every  other  class  of 
men  of  Christian  name ;  and  if  they  do  not  find  all  accom- 
plished which  the  world  had  perhaps  too  sanguinely  antici- 
pated, let  them  fairly  weigh  the  obstacles  that  have  been 
encountered  before  they  venture  to  pronounce  an  unfavour- 
able decision. 

*'  For  my  own  part,  utterly  unconnected  as  I  am  with 
missionaries  or  missionary  societies  of  any  description,  I 
cannot  in  candour  and  justice  withhold  from  them  my 
humble  meed  of  applause  for  their  labours  in  Southern 
Africa.  They  have  without  question  been  in  this  country 
not  only  the  devoted  teachers  of  our  holy  religion  to  the 
heathen  tribes,  but  also  the  indefatigable  pioneers  of  dis- 
covery and  civilisation.  Nor  is  their  character  unappreciated 
by  the  natives.  Averse  as  they  still  are  in  many  places  to 
receive  a  religion,  the  doctrines  of  which  are  too  pure  and 
benevolent  to  be  congenial  to  hearts  depraved  by  selfish 
and  vindictive  passions,  they  are  yet  everywhere  friendly 
to  the  missionaries,  eagerly  invite  them  to  reside  in  their 
territories,  and  consult  them  in  all  their  emergencies.  Such 
is  the  impression  which  the  disinterestedness,  patience,  and 
kindness  of  the  missionaries  have,  after  long  years  of 
labour  and  difficulty,  decidedly  made  even  upon  the  wildest 
and  fiercest  of  the  South  African  tribes  with  whom  they 
have  come  in  contact ;  and  this  favourable  impression, 
where  more  has  not  been  achieved,  is  of  itself  a  most  im- 
portant step  towards  full  and  ultimate  success." 

Take  the  testimony  of  four  Governors  of  India.  Lord 
Napier  says  : — "  The  progress  of  Christianity  is  slow,  but  it 
is  undeniable.  Every  year  sees  the  area  and  the  number 
slightly  increase.  The  advance  of  Christianity  has  at  all 
times  been  marked  by  occasional  fitful  and  spasmodic 
movements  in  India.  The  present  period  is  one  of  moderate 
progression,  but  it  does  not  include  the  expectation  of  rapid 
and  contagious  expansions  such  as  were  witnessed  in  the 


GENERAL  SURVEY  OF  MISSIONS.  301 

sixteenth  century  in  Malabar  and  Madina,  in  the  last 
century  in  Tanjore,  and  more  recently  among  the  Shanars 
of  the  South.  In  conclusion,  I  must  express  my  deep  sense 
of  the  importance  of  missions  as  a  general  civilising  agency 
in  the  south  of  India.  Imagine  all  these  establishments 
suddenly  removed,  how  great  would  be  the  vacancy ! 
Would  not  the  Government  lose  valuable  auxiliaries  1  The 
weakness  of  European  agency  in  this  country  is  a  frequent 
matter  of  wonder  and  complaint ;  but  how  much  weaker 
would  this  element  of  good  appear  if  the  mission  was  oblit- 
erated from  the  scene."  "  In  many  places,"  says  Sir  Donald 
Macleod,  "an  impression  prevails  that  the  missions  have 
not  produced  results  adequate  to  the  efforts  which  have 
been  made ;  but  there  is  no  real  foundation  for  this  im- 
pression,  and  those  who  hold  such  opinions  know  but  little 
of  the  reality."  This  is  the  testimony  of  Sir  Bartle 
Frere : — "I  speak  simply  as  to  matters  of  experience  and 
observation,  and  not  of  opinion — just  as  a  Roman  prefect 
might  have  reported  to  Trajan  or  the  Antonines ;  and  I 
assure  you  that,  whatever  you  may  be  told  to  the  contrary, 
the  teaching  of  Christianity  among  one  hundred  and  sixty 
millions  of  civilised,  industrious  Hindoos  and  Mahommedans 
in  India  is  effecting  changes,  moral,  social,  and  political, 
which  for  extent  and  rapidity  of  effect  are  far  more  extra- 
ordinary than  anything  you  or  your  fathers  have  witnessed 
in  modern  Europe."  Lastly,  there  is  the  testimony  of  Lord 
Lawrence,  Yiceroy  and  Governor-General : — "  I  believe," 
he  says,  "  notwithstanding  all  that  the  English  people  have 
done  to  benefit  India,  the  missionaries  have  done  more  than 
all  agencies  combined." 

Christian  people  should  make  themselves  familiar  with 
testimonies  such  as  these,  and  then  when  men  whose  worldly 
interests,  or  whose  habits  of  life,  cause  them  to  look  with  an 
unfriendly  eye  on  the  missions  of  the  Church,  or  men  who 
have  never  troubled  to  inform  themselves  concerning  them. 


302  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

seek  to  shake  their  faith  in  their  usefulness,  or  to  restrain 
their  efforts  in  their  promotion,  that  faith  will  be  found  firm 
as  an  immovable  rock. 

Faith  in  Christian  missions  may  be  strengthened  by  con- 
sidering the  universal  adaptation  of  Christianity  to  the 
state  and  needs  of  mankind.  It  is  suited  to  man  as  man  in 
all  parts  of  the  world.  There  is  nothing  local  in  its  nature 
or  requirements.  It  is  not  circumscribed  by  any  geogra- 
phical limits.  Its  ideas  may  be  expressed  in  all  languages. 
It  can  exist  under  all  forms  of  government.  It  will  accord 
with  all  systems  of  sound  philosophy.  Its  converts  exist 
in  Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  and  America.  In  its  entire  har- 
mony with  the  condition,  needs,  character,  instincts,  aspira- 
tions, and  capabilities  of  our  common  humanity,  who  can 
fail  to  see  that  it  is  God's  provision  for  the  world  ^ 

Faith  in  Christian  missions  is,  moreover,  to  be  strengthened 
by  considering  the  commission  of  Christ  to  His  church — 
"  Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every 
creature."  This  commission  remains  imperative  in  all  its 
original  force.  Whatever  may  be  the  result  of  the  proclama- 
tion of  the  Gospel,  though  not  one  to  whom  it  is  preached 
should  accept  it,  the  command  of  Christ  Jesus  binds  His 
followers  to  make  it  known.  Duty  calls,  and  it  is  at  our 
peril  we  neglect  the  call.  He  who  speaks  to  us  speaks  with 
authority.  He  has  a  right  to  order  us  to  any  service  He 
may  require,  and  by  our  profession  of  discipleship  we  are 
held  to  implicit  obedience.  Obedience  to  Christ's  command 
is  rendered  dear  to  us  by  gratitude.  He  who  speaks  is  our 
Redeemer.  We  are  not  our  own,  for  He  has  bought  us 
with  a  price — even  the  price  of  His  own  blood.  Standing 
by  our  Lord's  side  on  Olivet  as  He  issues  His  great  com- 
mission, we  remember  Bethlehem  and  Nazareth — we  have 
GethSemane  and  Calvary  before  our  eyes ;  and  while  His 
words  come  to  us  as  a  royal  edict,  they  also  come  as  the  last 
request  of  our  dearest  friend.     Obedience  to  Christ's  com- 


GENERAL  SURVEY  OF  MISSIONS.         303 


mand  is  in  a  special  manner  devolved  upon  British  Christians. 
Our  physical  and  mental  qualities,  our  national  training  for 
centuries  past,  the  immense  and  ever  increasing  wealth  in 
our  possession,  the  character  of  our  political  and  religious 
institutions,  the  vast  territories  we  own  and  the  many 
millions  of  people  over  whom  we  exercise  rule,  our  com- 
mercial relationships  with  all  th€  nations  of  the  earth,  and 
our  missionary  history  and  experience  for  the  last  hundred 
years — all  are  designed  by  God  to  fit  us  to  carry  out  the 
purposes  of  His  mercy  to  a  perishing  world. 

Christians  should  strengthen  their  faith  in  missionary 
work  by  the  recollection  of  the  declared  purpose  and  pro- 
mise of  God,  It  is  His  purpose  that  the  Gospel  should 
be  preached  to  all  nations.  He  indicates  this  purpose  by 
prophecy — by  such  predictions  as  declare  that  the  earth 
shall  be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  as  the  waters 
cover  the  sea ;  that  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  last  days 
that  the  mountain  of  the  Lord's  house  shall  be  established 
in  the  top  of  the  mountains,  and  shall  be  exalted  above  the 
hills,  and  all  nations  shall  flow  into  it ;  that  the  kingdoms 
of  this  world  are  to  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and 
of  His  Christ. 

An  increase  of  faith  in  missionary  operations  will  ensure 
their  more  rapid  growth  and  success.  It  will  do  this  in 
several  ways.  There  will  be  deeper  compassion  for  the 
heathen — a  truer  sympathy  with  them  in  their  wretched 
condition.  Spiritual  wretchedness — the  loss  and  misery  of 
the  soul  without  God  and  goodness,  under  the  power  and 
exposed  to  the  penalty  of  sin,  is  worse  than  anything  else 
a  man  can  endure.  And  if  we  look  at  this  miserable  state 
of  man  without  Christ — having  no  hope  and  without  God 
in  the  world — if  we  look  at  it  till  the  sight  becomes  clear  to 
us  in  all  its  truth  and  reality,  then  the  salvation  of  these 
lost  ones  will  become  our  heart's  great  desire. 

With  an  increase  of  faith  there  will  be  a  rising  up  of 


304  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  MOFFAT,  D.D. 

men  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen,  sufficient  supply 
of  funds  to  send  them  forth,  and  an  increase  of  earnest 
prayer  for  the  blessing  of  God  to  give  success  to  the  work. 
With  all  this  there  will  be  the  seeking  out  of  new  fields  for 
efibrt.  Many  parts  of  the  world,  as  we  have  already  seen, 
are  occupied.  In  India,  in  China,  in  Japan,  on  the  coasts 
of  Africa,  and  in  the  interior,  in  various  parts  of  America, 
in  Australasia,  in  the  islands  of  the  sea,  east  and  west, 
north  and  south,  the  missionaries  of  the  cross  are  to  be 
found.  But  large  tracts  of  the  earth  remain  unvisifced. 
With  an  increase  of  faith  these  will  be  occupied  too.  The 
various  sections  of  the  Church  will  search  them  out,  and 
divide  them  among  themselves,  as  waste  places  of  the  earth 
to  be  reclaimed  and  cultivated,  till  they  blossom  and  bear 
fruits  of  righteousness  like  the  garden  of  the  Lord ;  and 
this  will  go  on  till  there  shall  not  be  a  tribe  of  mankind  to 
whom  the  Gospel  shall  be  an  unknown  sound.  Then  shall 
God's  way  be  known  upon  earth,  His  saving  health  among 
all  nations. 


3sr  O  T  E  s 

ON  THE 

SITUATION,  FORM,  AND  EXTENT  OF  AFRICA- 
PHYSICAL  FEATURES  —  CLIMATE—  PRODUC- 
TIONS—ANIMALS— POPULATION— RELIGIONS- 
FORMS  OF  GOVERNMENT— COMMERCE,  &c. 

I^FRICA  is  situated  in  the  eastern  hemisphere,  to  the 
south  of  Europe  and  the  south-west  of  Asia,  and 
lies  between  lat.  37°  20'  N.  and  33°  50'  S.,  and 
long.  17°  30^  W.  and  51°  30'  E.  In  form  it  is  an 
irregular  triangle,  of  which  the  southern  extremity  forms 
the  blunt  apex ;  having  the  Mediterranean  Sea  on  the 
north,  the  Isthmus  of  Suez,  the  Red  Sea,  and  the  Indian 
Ocean  on  the  east,  and  the  Atlantic  Ocean  on  the  west. 
From  the  Mediterranean,  where  its  breadth  is  already 
considerable,  it  becomes  gradually  broader,  until  within 
a  few  degrees  of  the  Equator ;  it  then  contracts  suddenly, 
and  passing  southwards,  narrows  until  it  terminates  at  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope.  It  is  almost  insular ;  the  connecting 
isthmus  being  seventy-two  miles  across,  of  no  great  elevation 
above  the  sea-level,  and  in  part  occupied  by  salt  lakes  and 
marshes.  Practically,  now,  Africa  is  an  island,  inasmuch 
as  the  canal  opened  through  the  Isthmus  of  Suez  a  few 
years  ago  has  separated  it  from  Asia,  and  connected  the 
Red  Sea  with  the  Mediterranean. 

20 


306  NOTES  ON  AFEICA. 

The  coast-line  is  markedlDyfew  indentations  or  projections; 
the  most  important  gulf  being  that  of  Guinea  on  the  west ; 
and  the  extreme  points  to  the  north,  west,  south,  and  east 
being  respectively  Cape  Bon,  Cape  Yerde,  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  and  Cape  Guardafui.  The  breadth  of  Africa,  at  the 
Equator,  is  about  two  thousand  four  hundred  miles,  but  its 
greatest  breadth,  from  Cape  Guardafui  to  Cape  Verde,  is 
upwards  of  four  thousand  six  hundred  miles.  Its  greatest 
length,  from  Cape  Blanco,  in  the  Mediterranean,  to  Cape 
das  Agulhas,  is  about  five  thousand  miles ;  and  its  entire 
area,  including  the  adjacent  islands,  nearly  twelve  million 
square  miles. 

Africa  is  the  most  compact  of  all  the  great  divisions  of 
the  globe.  To  use  the  expression  of  Ritter,  it  is  "like  a 
trunk  without  limbs."  The  other  continents  have  their 
coasts  lengthened  by  being  deeply  indented  with  bays,  capes, 
and  long  necks  of  land.  This  is  not  the  case  with  Africa. 
There  are  only  a  few  islands  near  the  shores,  and  with  the 
exception  perhaps  of  Madagascar,  none  of  them  seem  to  be 
connected  in  physical  structure  with  the  adjacent  continent. 
The  Equator  cuts  Africa  into  two  masses  of  unequal  magni- 
tude. The  northern  portion  has  twice  the  superficial  area 
of  the  southern,  and  may  be  considered  as  about  equal  in 
extent  to  South  America,  while  the  southern  portion  is 
about  the  size  of  New  Holland.  Its  general  configuration 
may  be  briefly  sketched  under  the  following  heads : — The 
triangular  region  south  of  Cape  Guardafui  and  the  Gulf  of 
Guinea  is  mostly  a  high  table-land,  having  fringes  of 
mountains  crowning  its  edges.  Between  the  coast  and  the 
beginning  of  the  elevation  runs  a  belt  of  lowlands  varying 
from  fifty  to  three  hundred  miles  in  breadth.  The  Lupata 
range,  seen  running  parallel  with  the  coast,  forms  the  eastern 
crest  of  the  table-land,  and  reaches  in  the  snow-clad  Kili- 
mandjaro  and  Kenia  the  height  of  twenty  thousand  feet. 
These  are  believed  to  be  the  real  Mountains  of  the  Moon. 


NOTES  ON  AFRICA.  307 


The  mountainous  country  of  Abyssinia  is  the  eastern  pro- 
longation of  the  plateau,  and  its  elevated  crest,  which  rises  at 
the  northern  extremity,  in  the  summit  of  Abba  Yared,  to 
fifteen  thousand  feet.  At  the  south  the  hills  rise  from 
Table  Mount  to  the  summits  of  Nieuweld  and  Sneuwberg,  in 
the  north  of  the  Cape  Colony  ;  these  latter  mountains  being 
variously  estimated  at  from  seven  to  ten  thousand  feet  in 
height.  Towards  the  north-west  the  border  of  the  table- 
land rises,  in  the  Cameroons,  to  the  height  of  thirteen 
thousand  feet.  Within  this  region  are  the  Orange  River, 
the  Zambesi,  and  the  source  of  the  ISTile,  which,  flowing  from 
Lake  Victoria  Nyanza  through  Nubia  and  Egypt,  empties 
itself  into  the  Mediterranean.  Here,  too,  in  addition  to 
Victoria  Nyanza,  are  the  Lakes  Albert  Nyanza,  Tanganyika, 
N'gami,  and  Nyassa.  , 

North  of  the  great  triangular  table-land  lies  Sudan,  or 
Central  Nigritia,  under  which  name  may  be  comprehended 
the  countries  watered  by  the  Senegal,  the  Gambia,  and  the 
Niger,  along  with  the  coast  of  Lower  Guinea,  and  Lake 
Tchad.  In  the  west  of  this  section  is  a  mountainous  table- 
land, in  which  the  above-named  rivers  take  their  rise. 
Eastward  of  the  Niger  the  country  is  hilly,  alternating  with 
rich,  often  swampy  plains.  In  the  basin  of  Lake  Tchad  is 
a  vast  alluvial  plain,  one  of  the  largest  on  the  globe,  and  of 
great  fertility. 

Between  Sudan  and  the  cultivated  tract  which  borders 
the  Mediterranean  stretches  the  Sahara  or  Great  Desert. 
Its  average  breadth  from  north  to  south  is  about  a  thou- 
sand miles,  and  its  length,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  western 
edge  of  the  valley  of  the  Nile,  two  thousand.  Over  a  great 
part  of  this  region  rain  never  falls,  and  everywhere  it  is 
rare.  Here  and  there  are  tracts  of  fine  shifting  sand, 
while  the  greater  part  of  the  surface  consists  of  naked  but 
firm  soil,  composed  of  indurated  sand,  sandstone,  granite, 
and  quartz  rocks.       This    general   desolation    is,    however. 


308  NOTES  ON  AFRICA, 

interrupted  at  intervals  by  districts  covered  with  bushes  and 
coarse  grass,  and  often  marked  by  great  fertility  and  beauty. 

The  Atlas  region  comprehends  the  mountainous  countries 
of  Morocco,  Algeria,  and  Tunis.  The  northern  slope 
towards  the  Mediterranean  is  similar  in  aspect,  climate^ 
and  productions  to  the  opposite  coast  of  Europe ;  the 
southern  side  merges  gradually  into  the  Sahara.  Some 
parts  of  this  mountain  chain  are  considerably  above  the 
snow-line,  and  the  highest  summit  is  reckoned  at  fifteen 
thousand  feet.  The  remaining  region  is  that  bordering  on 
the  Red  Sea,  and  which  consists  of  Abyssinia,  Nubia,  and 
Egypt.  Abyssinia,  as  we  have  seen,  is  the  mountainous 
termination  of  the  great  southern  plateau.  Between  this 
and  the  Mediterranean  extends  the  low  valley  of  the  Nile, 
separated  from  the  Red  Sea  on  the  east  by  a  lofty  rugged 
district,  and  from  the  Libyan  Desert  on  the  west  by  a  low 
ridge  of  limestone  and  sandstone. 

The  climate  of  Africa  is  distinguished  by  its  general  want 
of  humidity  and  its  warmth ;  of  this  fact  the  immense 
extent  of  arid  and  burning  deserts  affords  incontrovertible 
proof.  The  most  northern  and  the  most  southern  districts 
are  equally  without  what  can  be  called  a  winter.  In  some 
districts  the  heat  is  frequently  insupportable.  Thus  at 
Ombos  and  Syene,  in  Egypt,  the  sand  under  a  noon-day  sun 
absolutely  scorches  the  feet  of  the  traveller,  and  eggs  may 
be  cooked  by  burying  them  in  it.  There  are  three  great 
varieties  of  climate  corresponding  to  the  physical  structure 
of  the  continent.  First,  that  of  the  plateaus  ;  second,  that 
of  the  terraces  which  lead  to  them ;  and  third,  that  of  the 
coasts.  In  the  vast  desert  of  the  Sahara,  extending  over 
an  area  equal  to  that  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  the  heat  of 
the  day  is  uniformly  contrasted  with  the  coldness  of  the 
night ;  while  on  the  terrace-land  of  Limba,  situated  behind 
the  Sierra  Leone  region,  we  find  a  temperate  and  whole- 
some climate ;  and  the  natives  of  Congo  call  their  terrace- 


NOTES  ON  AFRICA.  309 


lands,  which  are  well  cultivated  and  thickly  peopled,  "  the 
Paradise  of  the  World."  But  the  flat  coasts,  which  are 
often  over-flooded  in  the  rainy  season,  have  a  very  oppres- 
sive atmosphere ;  and  from  the  morasses  at  the  mouths  of 
the  rivers  a  malaria  arises  which  is  pestilential  to  Europeans. 
The  region  of  pestilential  air  has  been  calculated  to  extend 
about  one  hundred  miles  inland,  but  only  forty  miles  out  to 
sea,  and  to  rise  to  a  height  of  four  hundred  feet  above  the 
sea-level. 

The  climate  of  Africa  is  less  modified  by  the  ocean  than 
that  of  any  other  portion  of  tlie  globe,  not  even  excepting 
Central  Asia.  It  is  true  that  a  cold  current  from  the 
Antarctic  seas  sweeps  along  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and  the 
Agulhas  bank,  and  immense  Antarctic  glaciers  float  on- 
wards nearer  the  Equator  than  they  do  in  the  northern 
hemisphere ;  yet  from  the  figure  of  the  African  continent, 
these  ocean  currents  only  influence  the  temperature  of  the 
coast  to  a  small  extent,  while  the  rest  of  the  continent  is 
surrounded  by  oceans  of  elevated  temperature.  It  seems 
requisite  that  there  should  be  a  high  central  table-land,  with 
numerous  snow-capped  mountains  extending  across  the 
greater  part  of  the  African  tropics,  to  modify  the  solar 
influence,  which,  were  it  exerted  on  such  an  immense  extent 
of  level  and  low-lying  surface,  would  become  excessive. 
Such  an  excessive  elevation  of  temperature  does,  in  fact, 
partially  exist  in  the  Great  Sahara,  forming  the  north-west 
corner  of  the  continent.  From  the  greater  breadth  of 
Africa  to  the  north,  and  its  vicinity  to  the  neighbouring 
continents,  the  temperature  of  the  northern  portion  is  con- 
siderably above  that  of  the  southern.  Egypt  and  the  Cape 
Colony  are  in  the  same  parallels  of  north  and  south  latitude, 
but  the  southern  colony  has  a  much  milder  climate  than 
that  of  Lower  Egypt.  The  rivers  of  both  regions  are 
subject  to  periodical  overflowings,  but  the  flooding  of  the 
Nile  prevails  from  June  to  September,  while  that  of  t'.ie 


310  NOTES  ON  AFRICA. 

Orange  River  flowing  through  the  Nam  aqua  country,  and 
the  Fish  River,  and  others  which  flow  into  the  Indian 
Ocean,  have  their  risings  and  floods  in  November  and 
December,  both  being  respectively  influenced  by  the  summer 
solstices  of  the  northern  and  southern  hemispheres. 

During  eight  months  of  the  year  constant  fine  weather 
is  prevalent  throughout  a  great  part  of  Africa.  The  sun 
rises  every  morning  in  a  clear  atmosphere,  and  spreads  a 
clear  glaring  light  over  the  whole  country,  too  brilliant 
almost  for  the  eye  to  sustain ;  no  cloud  casts  a  passing 
shadow  over  the  landscape ;  and  in  the  evening  the  orb  of 
day  sinks  magnificently  to  rest.  But  the  excessive  heat 
diminishes  the  pleasure  that  otherwise  would  be  felt  in 
contemplating  the  glorious  sky,  and  the  first  clouds  which 
foretell  the  approach  of  rain  are  hailed  with  delight  by  the 
European  resident  overwhelmed  by  the  oppressive  heat. 

African  vegetation  is  less  varied  than  that  of  Europe  or 
Asia.  Along  the  Mediterranean  sea-board  it  greatly  re- 
sembles that  of  Southern  Europe.  Thus  the  olive,  orange, 
and  citron  of  Tripoli  and  Algiers  rival  in  luxuriance  the 
similar  productions  of  Andalusia  and  Valencia.  The  date- 
tree  in  Tripoli  attains  the  height  of  one  hundred  feet,  and 
bears  clusters  weighing  from  twenty  to  thirty  pounds.  The 
vegetation  of  Egypt  is  highly  characterised,  and  presents 
many  indigenous  plants,  which,  even  under  the  most  im- 
perfect developments,  readily  indicate  the  country  to  which 
they  belong.  The  celebrated  and  classic  lotus  grows  so 
abundantly  in  this  country  that  some  of  its  ancient  in- 
habitants are  represented  to  have  made  its  fruit  their 
principal  article  of  subsistence ;  and  thus  they  come  to  be 
distinguished  by  the  Greeks  as  Lotophagi^  or  Lotus-eaters. 
The  Nile  produces  many  aquatic  plants,  which  spread  their 
large  leaves  over  its  surface,  and  gracefully  rear  their  flowers 
above  its  waters. 

The  vegetation  of  Abyssinia  appears  to  difier  considerably 


NOTES  ON  AFRICA.  311 

from  that  of  the  tropics,  but  it  bears  some  affinity  to  that  of 
the  Mozambique  coast,  and  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
Coffee  grows  indigenously  on  the  African  coast  of  the  Red 
Sea,  near  Babelmandib,  and  in  the  interior  to  the  south  of 
Abyssinia.  Certain  palms  are  characteristic,  of  different 
parts  of  Africa,  and  are  of  the  greatest  importance  to  the 
inhabitants.  Such  are  the  date-palm  and  the  doom-palm 
which  grow  in  the  arid,  sandy  regions  of  the  north,  and  tlie 
cocoa-palm  and  the  oil-palm  which  flourish  amid  the  tropical 
luxuriance  of  the  west.  A  large  quantity  of  oil  is  produced 
also  from  a  plant  of  a  very  different  description — the  ground- 
nut, a  leguminous,  herbaceous  plant,  which  has  the  remark- 
able peculiarity  of  thrusting  its  pod  into  the  ground  to  ripen 
there,  and  which  is  now  so  extensively  cultivated  that  ten 
millions  of  bushels  of  ground-nuts  are  annually  exported 
from  the  Gambia.  In  the  hot  and  humid  districts  of  Sene- 
gambia,  besides  the  productions  common  to  the  similar 
climates  of  Upper  Egypt  and  Arabia,  there  are  plants 
which  have  been  considered  peculiar  to  the  Indian  Archi- 
pelago, to  Madagascar,  and  South  America. 

The  tropical  regions  are  not  so  rich  in  species  of  plants  as 
those  of  South  America,  but  still  they  exhibit  many 
peculiar  genera.  South  Africa  presents  one  of  those  centres 
of  vegetation  which  are,  in  some  respects,  distinct  from 
other  regions  of  the  earth.  Leguminous  and  euphorbiaceous 
plants  abound.  Every  one  is  familiar  with  the  splendid 
Cape  heaths,  which  flourish  more  particularly  in  the  coast 
districts,  and  become  rarer  in  the  interior.  Numerous 
species  of  the  cacti  suit  the  aridity  of  the  soil ;  and  here  the 
aloe  plant  flourishes.  As  we  leave  the  coasts,  and  ascend 
.the  terraces  towards  the  interior,  we  pass  gradually  from 
tropical  productions  to  those  of  the  temperate  zones,  which 
all  flourish  well  in  several  parts  of  Africa.  Though  the 
forests  cannot  rival  those  of  Brazil,  yet  they  are  rich  in 
valuable  woods,  especially  the  harder  kinds — some  of  them 


312  NOTES  ON  AFRICA. 

excellent  for  shipbuilding.  Ebony,  certain  kinds  of  rose- 
wood, and  the  timber  called  African  teak,  are  among  the 
productions  of  these  forests.  The  butter- tree  is  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  productions  of  the  central  regions.  Ex- 
tensive level  tracts  are  covered  with  the  gay  and  graceful 
acacia,  distilling  those  rich  gums  which  constitute  so  import- 
ant an  item  in  African  commerce.  Here  also  flourishes  the 
baobab  in  all  its  gigantic  magnitude. 

Gordon    Gumming  says   of     this    tree : — "  It   is   chiefly 
remarkable  on  account  of  its  extraordinary  size,  resembling 
a  castle  or  tower  more  than  a  forest  tree.     Throughout  the 
country  of  Bamadgwato  (lat.  22°  S.)   the  average  circum- 
ference of  these  trees  was  from  thirty -five  to  forty  feet ;  but 
on  extending  my  researches  in  a  north-easterly   direction 
throughout  the  more  fertile  forests  which  clothe  the  many 
boundless  tracts  through  which  the  river  Limpopo  winds, 
I  daily    met    with    specimens    of   this   extraordinary   tree, 
averaging  from  sixty  to  a  hundred  feet  in  circumference,  and 
maintaining  this  thickness  to  a  height  from  twenty  to  thirty 
feet,  when  they  diverge  into   numerous   goodly  branches, 
whose  general  character  is  abrupt  and  horizontal,  and  which 
seem  to  terminate  with  a  peculiar  suddenness.     The  wood  is 
soft  and  useless ;  the  leaf  similar  to  the  sycamore  :  the  fruit 
is  a  nut  the  size  of  a  swan's  egg.     A  remarkable  fact  in  con- 
nection with  these  trees  is  the  manner  in  which  they  are 
disposed  throughout  the  forest.     They  are  found  standing 
singly  or  in  rows,  invariably  at  considerable  distances  from 
one  another,  as  if  planted  by  the  hand  of  man ;  and  from 
their  wondrous  size  and  unusual  height   (for   they  always 
tower  high  above  their  surrounding  compeers),  they  convey 
the  idea  of  being  strangers  or  interlopers  on  the  ground  they 
occupy." 

On  the  borders  of  Lake  N'gami  Livingstone  found  the  wide- 
spreading  baobab-tree,  with  trunks  from  seventy  to  seventy- 
six  feet  in  circumference,  Palmyra  palms,  the  banyan-tree, 


NOTES  OiV  AFRICA.  313 

and  fruit  trees,  with  fruit  resembling  the  orange  and  plum. 
In  the  dry  plains  of  the  interior  a  succulent  root  is  found 
which  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the  thirsty  native. 
The  stem  appears  above  ground  from  three  to  four  inches 
high,  with  small  narrow  leaves,  and  is  in  appearance  some- 
what like  the  dandelion.  The  bulbous  root  is  about  the 
size  of  a  child's  head,  and  is  porous  throughout,  and  full  of 
pure  limpid  water.  The  bulb  grows  from  eight  to  nine 
inches  from  the  surface,  and  is  eagerly  searched  out  and  dug 
up  by  the  natives  when,  in  their  hunting  expeditions,  they 
are  overcome  by  thirst.  Several  other  succulent  plants,  with 
thick  juicy  leaves,  are  also  found  springing  up  from  the 
dry-baked  soil  of  the  desert  and  a  species  of  water-melon 
abounds  in  the  Kalahari  desert  which  also  affords  a  cooling 
food  for  the  natives.  Most  of  these  plants  and  roots  form, 
too,  the  food  of  the  numerous  herds  of  antelopes ;  and  even 
the  elephant  digs  them  up  with  his  tusks  and  pliant  trunk, 
and  finds  in  them  pleasant  sustenance. 

The  fertile  valleys  of  Africa,  both  in  the  tropical  and 
temperate  parts,  are  favourable  to  the  productions  of  other 
countries.  Maize  is  now  extensively  cultivated,  as  well  as 
rice,  wheat,  and  millet.  Coffee  grows  luxuriantly,  and  of 
good  quality.  Indigo  and  tobacco  are  easily  cultivated. 
Cotton  has  succeeded  well  where  it  has  been  introduced,  as 
in  Egypt,  where,  however,  it  requires  artificial  and  laborious 
irrigation ;  while  in  the  fertile  and  well-watered  soil  of 
Sennaar  it  flourishes  even  with  a  most  careless  style  of 
'  cultivation,  and  might  without  doubt  be  produced  in 
enormous  quantity.  Other  regions,  as  Natal,  are  also  likely 
to  produce  it  abundantly.  The  vine  is  cultivated  with 
success  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  the  sugar-cane  in 
different  parts  of  the  continent. 

In  his  admirable  survey  of  the  geographical  distribution  of 
the  mammalia,  Wagner,  dividing  the  globe  into  certain 
zoological    provinces,    takes   the   northern   frontier  of    the 


314  NOTES  ON  AFRICA. 

Sahara  as  a  line  between  two  distinct  African  provinces. 
This  line  coincides  nearly  with  the  parallel  of  30°  N.  lat. ; 
all  Africa  south  of  it  he  makes  the  zoological  province  of 
Africa ;  but  those  provinces  situated  on  the  north  of  it,  and 
comprising  Barbary  and  the  other  coast  countries  bordering 
on  the  Mediterranean,  he  includes  witibin  his  European 
province,  on  the  ground  that,  although  African  types  still 
appear  there,  those  of  Europe  are  predominant.  In  this 
respect  the  Mediterranean  separates  North  Africa  from 
South  Europe  less  than  does  the  Sahara  from  the  main  part 
of  Africa.  Indeed,  the  entire  basin  of  the  Mediterranean, 
including  the  European,  Asiatic,  and  African  shores,  is 
peculiar  in  itself,  both  as  to  animal  and  to  vegetable  life. 

The  configuration  and  character  of  the  surface  of  Africa 
explains  the  peculiar  fauna  of  quadrupeds  of  this  country, 
which  on  the  whole  resembles  that  of  the  Turanian  steppes. 
The  forest-inhabiting  deer  are  completely  wanting,  except  in 
the  transition  province  of  Barbary,  and  they  are  replaced  by 
the  antelopes,  which  are  more  numerous  here  than  anywhere 
else.  Among  the  many  and  important  varieties  of  the 
animal  kingdom  furnished  by  Africa  the  first  place  must  be 
given  to  the  lion.  Then  come  the  leopard,  the  hyena,  the 
jackal ;  a  species  of  elephant,  different  in  some  respects 
from  the  Asiatic ;  several  species  of  the  rhinoceros,  the 
hippopotamus,  the  wart-hog,  many  kinds  of  monkeys,  par- 
ticularly within  the  tropics ;  the  giraffe,  the  zebra,  and  the 
quagga,  and  numerous  species  of  the  antelope,  which,  as  we 
have  intimated,  occupy  in  African  zoology  the  place  of  deer 
in  other  parts  of  the  world.  The  gnu  is  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  of  the  antelope  genus;  some  of  the  species 
occasionally  appear  in  prodigious  numbers,  devastating  the 
fields  of  the  colonists.  The  extraordinary  swiftness  of  many 
of  these  animals,  which  enables  them  to  seek  their  food  at 
great  distances,  is  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  immense  plains 
of  the  country.     The  comparative  scarcity  of  forests  corre- 


NOTES  ON  AFRICA.  315 

spends  with  that  of  the  squirrel  tribe,  those  that  are  found 
being  mostly  ground-squirrels.  Mice  are  numerous,  as  are 
also  hares,  which  latter  prefers  steppe-like  country  to  wood- 
land. Camels  are  said  to  have  been  introduced  by  the 
Arabs,  and  are  plentiful  in  the  northern  regions.  Among 
birds  the  ostrich  is  found  in  almost  all  parts  of  Africa;  parrots 
also,  flamingoes,  guinea-fowls,  and  other  representatives  of 
the  feather  tribe  are  numerous.  Crocodiles  are  found  in  the 
rivers  ;  and  many  kinds  of  lizards  and  serpents  occur,  not 
a  few  of  the  latter  being  poisonous.  There  are  also  tortoises 
and  turtles  of  different  species.    ^ 

Africa  is  the  principal  home  of  the  lion,  who  here  reigns 
undisturbed  as  king  over  the  animal  creation,  while  in  Asia 
his  power  is  divided  with  the  tiger.  He  inhabits  all  parts  of 
this  continent,  except  the  north-east  portions,  the  Sahara, 
and  those  districts  where  European  civilisation  has  won  its 
ground.  Over  the  more  secluded  parts  of  South  Africa  he 
is  very  generally  diffused.  He  is,  however,  nowhere  met 
with  in  great  abundance,  it  being  very  rare  to  meet  more  than 
three,  or  even  two,  families  of  lions  frequenting  the  same 
district  and  drinking  at  the  same  fountain,  except  in  times 
of  great  drought.  It  is  a  common  thing  to  find  a  full-grown 
lion  and  lioness  associating  with  two  or  three  young  ones 
nearly  full-grown ;  at  other  times  full-grown  males,  to  the 
number  of  three  or  four,  may  be  found  associating  and 
hunting  together  in  amicable  alliance.  There  is  something 
so  noble  and  imposing  in  the  presence  of  the  lion  when  seen 
■(talking  with  dignified  self-possession,  free  and  undaunted, 
on  his  native  soil,  that  no  description  can  convey  an 
adequate  idea  of  his  striking  appearance.  The  male  lion  is 
adorned  with  a  long,  thick,  shaggy  mane,  which  in  some 
instances  almost  sweeps  the  ground.  The  colour  of  these 
manes  varies — some  being  very  dark,  and  others  of  a  golden 
yellow  ;  the  colour  being  generally  influenced  by  age.  He 
attains  his  mane  in  his  third  year  ;  at  first  it  is  yellowish,  in 


316  NOTES  ON  AFRICA. 

the  prime  of  life  it  is  blackish,  and  when  he  has  numbered 
many  years,  but  still  is  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  his  power, 
it  assumes  a  yellowish-grey  pepper-and-salt  sort  of  colour. 
When  old,  lions  are  cunning  and  dangerous,  and  most  to  be 
dreaded.  The  females  are  entirely  destitute  of  a  mane, 
being  covered  with  a  short,  thick,  glossy  coat  of  tawny  hair. 
The  manes  and  coats  of  lions  frequenting  open-lying  districts 
entirely  free  from  trees,  such  as  the  borders  of  the  great 
Kalahari  Desert,  are  more  rank  and  beautiful  than  those 
inhabiting  forest  districts.  No  one  who  has  once  heard  the 
deep-toned  thunder  of  the  lion's  roar  can  ever  mistake  it ;  it 
is  extremely  grand  and  peculiarly  striking.  It  consists  at 
times  of  a  low  deep  moaning,  often  repeated,  ending  in 
faintly  audible  sighs ;  at  other  times  he  strikes  the  forest 
with  loud  deep-toned  solemn  roars,  repeated  five  or  six 
times  in  quick  succession,  each  increasing  in  loudness  to  the 
third  or  fourth,  when  his  voice  dies  away  in  low  muffled 
sounds,  very  much  resembling  distant  thunder.  At  times, 
and  not  unfrequently,  a  troop  may  be  heard  roaring  in  con- 
cert, one  assuming  the  lead,  and  two  or  more  regularly 
taking  up  their  parts,  like  persons  singing  a  catch.  They 
roar  loudest  in  cold  frosty  nights ;  but  on  no  occasion  are 
their  voices  to  be  heard  in  such  perfection  as  when  two  or 
three  strange  parties  approach  a  fountain  to  drink  at  the 
same  time.  As  a  general  rule  lions  roar  during  the  night, 
commencing  in  the  evening,  and  continuing  at  intervals 
until  the  morning.  In  hazy  and  rainy  weather  they  are  to 
be  heard  at  every  hour  in  the  day,  but  their  roar  is  subdued. 
It  often  happens  that  when  two  strange  lions  meet  at  a 
fountain  a  terrible  combat  ensues,  which  sometimes  ends 
in  the  death  of  one  of  them.  The  habits  of  the  lion  are 
strictly  nocturnal;  during  the  day  he  lies  concealed  beneath 
the  shade  of  a  low  bushy  tree  or  wide-spreading  bush, 
either  in  the  level  forest  or  mountain  side.  He  is  also 
partial  to  lofty  reeds,  or  fields  of  long  rank  yellow  grass, 


NOTES  ON  AFRICA.  317 

such  as  occur  in  low-lying  valleys.  From  these  haunts  he 
sallies  forth  when  the  sun  goes  down  and  commences  his 
nightly  prowl.  When  he  is  successful  in  his  beat,  and  has 
secured  his  prey,  he  does  not  roar  much  that  night,  only 
uttering  occasionally  a  few  low  moans.  Unlike  other 
quadrupeds,  he  seems  unwilling  to  visit  the  fountains 
during  moonlight ;  so  that  when  the  moon  rises  early  he 
defers  his  watering  till  the  morning,  and  when  the  moon 
rises  late  he  drinks  at  an  early  hour  in  the  night.  Though 
considerably  under  four  feet  in  height,  he  has  little  difficulty 
in  dashing  to  the  ground  and  -overcoming  the  lofty  and 
apparently  powerful  giraffe.  The  lion  is  the  constant  at- 
tendant of  vast  herds  of  buflfaloes ;  and  a  full-grown  lion, 
so  long  as  his  teeth  remain  unbroken,  generally  proves  a 
match  for  an  old  bull  buffalo,  which  in  size  and  strength 
greatly  surpasses  the  most  powerful  breed  of  our  English 
cattle.  The  lion  also  preys  on  all  the  larger  varieties  of  the 
antelope,  and  on  both  varieties  of  the  gnu.  The  zebra  also 
is  a  favourite  object  of  his  pursuit.  The  female  is  more 
fierce  and  active  than  the  male ;  and  lionesses  which  have 
never  had  young  are  much  more  dangerous  than  those  that 
have.  At  no  time  is  the  lion  so  much  to  be  dreaded  as 
when  his  partner  has  got  small  young  ones.  At  that  season 
he  knows  no  fear,  and  in  the  coolest  and  most  intrepid 
manner  will  face  a  thousand  men. 

The  African  elephant  differs  from  the  Asiatic  in  his 
rounder  head  and  more  convex  forehead,  his  larger  ears, 
and  the  lozenge-marked  surface  of  his  grinders ;  the  tusks 
are  also  longer ;  while  the  female  elephant  of  Africa  is 
furnished  with  tusks  as  well  as  the  male,  though  smaller. 
The  elephant  is  widely  distributed  over  the  forests  of  South 
Africa,  but  does  not  attain  so  large  a  size  there  as  in  the 
more  tropical  parts  of  that  continent.  The  male  is  much 
larger  than  the  female,  and  is  furnished  with  tapering  and 
beautifully-arched  tusks  from  six  to  eight  feet  long.     Old 


318  NOTES  ON  AFRICA. 


bull  elephants  are  found  singly  or  in  pairs,  or  sometimes  in 
herds  of  six  to  twenty.  The  younger  bulls  remain  for  many 
years  in  company  with  their  mothers,  and  then  form  large 
herds  of  twenty  to  a  hundred.  The  elephant  feeds  on  the 
branches,  leaves,  and  roots  of  trees,  and  also  on  various 
bulbous  roots,  which  he  finds  out  by  his  exquisite  smell 
and  digs  up  with  his  tusks.  Whole  acres  of  ground  may 
be  seen  thus  ploughed  up.  He  passes  the  greater  part  of 
the  day  and  night  in  feeding,  and  consumes  an  immense 
quantity  of  food ;  roaming  over  a  vast  extent  of  surface, 
and  making  choice  of  the  greenest  spots  of  the  forest. 
When  a  district  becomes  parched  and  barren  he  will  for- 
sake it  for  years,  and  wander  to  great  distances  in  search 
of  food  and  water.  In  his  wild  state  he  entertains  a  great 
horror  of  man,  and  a  single  human  being,  even  a  child,  l^y 
passing  between  them  and  the  wind,  w^ill  put  a  hundred  to 
flight.  When  a  single  troop  has  been  attacked  by  the 
hunter,  all  the  other  elephants  of  the  district  become  aware 
of  the  circumstance  in  a  few  days,  and  a  general  migration 
takes  place  to  more  frequented  grounds.  They  keep  them- 
selves more  secluded  than  any  other  wild  quadrupeds,  with 
the  exception  of  some  rare  species  of  antelope,  choosing  the 
most  remote  and  lonely  depths  of  the  forest,  generally  at  a 
great  distance  from  the  rivers  and  fountains  to  which  they 
resort  at  night  to  drink.  In  dry,  warm  weather  they  make 
nightly  visits  to  the  drinking  fountains ;  in  cool  and  moist 
weather  they  drink  only  once  every  third  or  fourth  day. 
They  commence  their  march  at  sunset,  and  travel  from 
twelve  to  twenty  miles ;  they  generally  reach  the  water 
between  the  hours  of  nine  and  midnight,  when,  having 
satisfied  their  thirst,  and  cooled  their  bodies  by  spouting 
large  quantities  of  water  over  their  backs  with  their  trunks, 
they  resume  their  way  back  into  the  depths  of  the  forest. 
When  in  places  of  perfect  security,  the  old  bulls  lie  down  to 
^leep  for  a  few  hours  on  their  sides,  generally  leaning  against 


NOTES  ON  AFRICA.  319 

the  large  hill  of  the  white  ant.  The  females  rarely  lie  down, 
and  both  males  and  females,  when  liable  to  disturbance, 
always  keep  standing  beneath  some  shady  tree.  Having 
rested  themselves  they  then  proceed  to  feed.  Spreading 
out  from  one  another  in  a  zigzag  course,  they  smash  and 
destroy  all  the  forest  trees  which  happen  to  be  in  their  way ; 
and  the  devastation  which  a  herd  of  bull  elephants  will 
produce  in  this  manner  is  almost  incredible.  They  are  ex- 
tremely capricious,  breaking  down  whole  groups  of  trees, 
and  perhaps  tasting  only  one  or  two  small  branches,  leaving 
the  trunks  lying  prostrate  in^all  directions.  During  the 
night  they  will  feed  in  open  plains  and  thinly- wooded  dis- 
tricts ;  but  as  day  dawns  they  return  to  the  dense  coverts, 
and  here  they  remain,  drawn  up  in  a  compact  herd,  while 
the  heat  of  the  day  lasts.  The  pace  of  the  elephant,  when 
undisturbed,  is  a  bold,  free,  sweeping  step ;  and  from  the 
peculiar  spongy  formation  of  his  foot,  his  tread  is  extremely 
light  and  inaudible,  and  all  his  movements  are  attended  with 
a  peculiar  gentleness  and  grace.  This,  however,  only  applies 
to  the  elephant  when  roaming  undisturbed  in  his  jungle, 
for  when  roused  by  the  hunter  he  proves  the  most  dangerous 
enemy,  and  far  more  difficult  to  conquer  than  any  other 
beast  of  chase.  The  tusk  of  an  elephant  weighs  from  a 
hundred  to  a  hundred  and  fifty  or  seventy  pounds ;  and  the 
price  of  the  ivory  in  the  English  market  is  from  .£28  to 
c£32  per  hundredweight.  The  native  Bechuanas  devour 
the  flesh  of  the  elephant  with  great  avidity,  regarding  the 
'  legs,  when  cooked  after  a  peculiar  fashion,  a  special  delicacy ; 
they  also  make  water-bags  of  its  inner  skin. 

The  largest  and  best  known  species  of  the  hippopotamus 
is  found  in  almost  all  parts  of  Africa,  to  which  quarter  of 
the  globe  it  is  entirely  confined.  A  smaller  species  has 
recently  been  described  as  an  inhabitant  of  the  rivers  of 
Western  Africa  within  the  tropics,  and  is  said  to  diflTer 
remarkably  from  the  common  species  in  having  only  two 


320  NOTES  ON  AFRICA. 

incisors,  instead  of  four,  in  the  lower  jaw.     The  common 
hippopotamus  is  one  of  the  largest  of  existing  quadrupeds, 
the  bulk  of  its  body  being  little  inferior  to  that  of  the 
elephant ;  although  its  legs  are  so  short  that  its  belly  almost 
touches  the  ground,  and  its  height  is  not  much  above  five 
feet,  it  is  extremely  aquatic  in  its  habits,  living  mostly  in 
lakes  or  rivers,  often  in  tidal  estuaries,  where  the  saltness 
of  the  water  compels  it  to  resort  to  springs  for  the  purpose 
of  drinking,  and   sometimes  even  in  the  sea,   although  it 
never  proceeds  to  any  considerable  distance  from  the  shore. 
Its  skin  is  very  thick — on  the  back  and  sides  more  than 
two  inches ;  it  is  dark-brown,  destitute  of  hair,  and  exudes 
in  great  abundance  from  its  numerous  pores  a  thickish  oily 
fluid,  by  which  it  is  kept  constantly  lubricated.     The  neck 
is  short  and  thick  ;  the  head  very  large,  with  small  ears  and 
small  eyes  placed  high,  so  that  they  are  easily  raised  above 
water  without  much  of  the  animal  being  exposed  to  view. 
The  respiration  of  the  hippopotamus  is  slow,  and  thus  it  is 
enabled  to  spend  much  of  its  time  under  water,  only  coming 
to  the  surface  at  intervals  to  breathe.     It  swims  and  dives 
with  great  ease,  and  often  walks  along  the  bottom  com- 
pletely under  water.     Its  food  consists  chiefly  of  the  plants 
which  grow  in  shallow  waters  and  about  the  margins  of 
lakes  and  rivers.     It  often,  however,  leaves  the  water  to 
feed  on  the  banks,  and  makes  inroads  on  cultivated  fields, 
cutting  grass  or  corn  as  if  it  were  done  with  a  scythe,  and 
devouring  and  trampling  the  crops.     The  flesh  is  highly 
esteemed ;  the  fat,  of  which  there  is  a  thick  layer  imme- 
diately under  the  skin,  is  a  favourite  African  delicacy,  and 
when  salted  is  known  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  as  Zee- 
koe-sjyeck — that  is.   Lake-cow-bacon.      The  tongue  and  the 
jelly  made  from  the  feet  are  also  much  prized.     The  hide  is 
used  for  a  variety  of  purposes ;  and  the  great  canine  teeth 
are  particularly  valuable  as  ivory,  and  form  a  very  con- 
siderable article  of  African  commerce. 


NOTES  ON  AFRICA.  321 

There  are  four  varieties  of  the  rhinoceros  in  South  Africa, 
distinguished  by  the  Bechuanas  by  the  names  of  horele  or 
black  rhinoceros,  the  keitloa  or  two-horned  black  rhinoceros, 
the  Ttiiichoclw  or  common  white  rhinoceros,  and  the  kohaoha 
or  long-horned  white  rhinoceros.     The  latter  is  in  all  proba- 
bility the  "  reem"  or  unicorn  of  Scripture,  the  forehead  being 
furnished  with  a  long  curved  horn,  which  projects  in  front, 
with  a  small  rudimentary  horn  behind.     Both  varieties  of 
the  black  rhinoceros  are  extremely  tierce  and  dangerous,  and 
rush  headlong  and  unprovoked  at  any  object  which  attracts 
their  attention.     They  never^grow  fat,  and  their  flesh  is 
tough  and  not  much  esteemed.     They  feed  almost  entirely 
on  the  thorny  branches  of  an  acacia.     Their  horns  are  short, 
seldom  exceeding  eighteen  inches  in  length ;  while  those  of 
kohaoha,  or  white  rhinoceros,  often  exceed  four  feet.     The 
horns  are  merely  connected  to  the  skin,  not  to  the  bane  of 
the  head ;  they  are  solid,  hard,  and  capable  of  receiving  a 
fine  polish.     During  the  heat  of  the  day  the  rhinoceros  will 
be  found  asleep,  or  standing  indolently  in  some  retired  part 
of  the  forest ;    in  the  evening  he  commences  his  nightly 
rambles,  and  visits  the  fountains  and  waterpools.     The  black 
rhinoceros  is  subject  to  paroxysms  of  unprovoked  fury,  often 
ploughing  up  the  ground  for  several  yards  with  his  horns 
and  assaulting  large  bushes  in  the  most  violent  manner. 
Both  kinds  of  the  white  rhinoceros  are  considerably  larger 
than  the  black,  nearly  equalling  in  size  the  elephant ;  they 
feed  solely  on  grass,  and  carry  much  fat ;  they  are  less  swift, 
but  more  gentle  in  their  dispositions  than  the  others,  and 
have  longer  heads,  which   they  carry  low  when  running. 
The  rhinoceros,  as  well  as  the  hippopotamus,  has  a  singular 
parasite,  the  rhinoceros-bird,  of  a  greyish  colour  and  nearly 
the  size  of  a  thrush,  which  perches  on  the  backs  of  these 
huge  animals,  and  feeds  on  the  ticks  or  insects  attached  to 
the  skin.     When  an  enemy  approaches,  these  watchful  birds 
give  the  alarm  by  ascending  about  six  feet  into  the  air,  and 

21 


322  NOTES  ON  AFRICA. 


uttering  a  loud  scream,  wakening  the  leviathan  from  his 
soundest  nap.  Day  and  night  these  birds  adhere  to  the 
back  of  their  patron,  and  even  when  pursued  and  scrambling 
through  brushwood,  if  a  branch  of  a  tree  happen  to  jerk 
them  off,  they  assiduously  fly  forwards  and  regain  their 
position. 

If  the  lion  claims  the  title  of  the  king,  the  giraffe  may 
well  be  called  the  queen  of  African  quadrupeds.  Though 
gigantic  in  size,  its  exquisite  beauty,  and  softness  and 
gentleness  of  manners,  may  well  entitle  it  to  this  feminine 
pre-eminence.  In  the  forests  not  molested  by  man  they  are 
found  in  herds  of  from  twelve  to  sixteen,  sometimes  even 
thirty  and  forty,  but  sixteen  is  the  average  number.  These 
herds  are  composed  of  individuals  of  various  sizes,  from 
the  young  of  twelve  feet  in  height  to  the  dark  chestnut 
coloured  old  bull,  whose  majestic  head  towers  to  the  height 
of  twenty  feet.  The  females  are  of  low  stature,  and  more 
delicately  formed  than  the  males,  and  average  from  sixteen 
to  seventeen  feet.  Some  writers  have  discovered  ugliness 
and  a  want  of  grace  in  the  giraffe ;  but  Mr.  Gumming  says 
that  it  is  one  of  the  most  strikingly  beautiful  animals  in 
creation;  and  that  when  a  herd  of  them  is  seen  scattered 
through  a  grove  of  the  picturesque  parasol-topped  acacias 
which  adorn  the  native  plains,  and  on  whose  uppermost 
shoots  they  are  enabled  to  browse  by  the  colossal  height 
with  which  nature  has  so  admirably  endowed  them,  he  must 
indeed  be  slow  of  conception  who  fails  to  discover  both  grace 
and  dignity  in  their  movements.  As  is  the  case  with  many 
other  defenceless  animals,  their  colour,  too,  seems  to  be 
admirably  in  unison  with  the  grounds  over  which  they 
roam ;  for  even  the  sharp-sighted  natives  often  at  some 
distance  fail  to  discover  their  spotted  chestnut  forms  amid 
the  decayed  trunks  of  trees  and  brown  herbage. 

Africa  is  the  country  of  antelopes,  unquestionably  the 
most  lively,   graceful,   and  beautifully-proportioned  of  the 


NOTES  ON  AFRICA.  323 


brute  creation.  Wherever  they  are  known,  they  have 
attracted  the  attention  and  admiration  of  mankind  from 
the  earliest  ages  ;  and  the  beauty  of  their  dark  and  lustrous 
eyes  affords  a  frequent  theme  to  the  poetical  imaginings  of 
the  eastern  poets.  Their  names  are  of  frequent  occurrence 
in  the  most  ancient  of  the  Oriental  mythologies,  and  their 
figures  occur  amongst  the  oldest  of  the  astronomical  symbols. 
One  of  the  largest  of  the  African  antelopes  is  the  bubale, 
equal  in  size  to  a  stag.  It  congregates  in  troops,  among 
which  frequent  and  sometimes  fatal  combats  take  place. 
This  species  was  well  known  to  the  ancients,  and  it  is 
represented  among  the  hieroglyphical  figures  of  the  temples 
of  Upper  Egypt.  It  inhabits  Barbary  and  the  Great  Desert 
of  Northern  Africa.  The  blue  antelope  formerly  met  with 
in  the  Cape  Colony  is  now  so  rare  in  Southern  Africa  that 
no  specimen  has  been  killed  there  since  the  year  1799.  Its 
history  and  manners  are  little  known.  Some  travellers  are 
disposed  to  regard  it  as  merely  a  variety  of  the  roan 
antelope,  which  is  a  very  large  animal,  measuring  nearly 
eight  feet  in  length,  and  which  was  found  by  Mr.  Burchell 
among  the  mountainous  plains  in  the  vicinity  of  Lattakoo. 
The  Caffrarian  oryx  or  gemsbok  is  about  the  most  beautiful 
and  remarkable  of  the  antelope  tribe.  It  inhabits  elevated 
forests  and  the  rocky  regions  of  the  south,  and  is  exceed- 
ingly fierce  during  the  rutting-season,  especially  when 
wounded.  A  friend  of  Major  Smith  having  fired  at  one  of 
these  animals,  it  immediately  turned  upon  his  dogs  and 
transfixed  one  of  them  upon  the  spot.  The  oryx  afibrds  the 
best  venison,  next  to  that  of  the  eland,  found  in  that  part 
of  Africa.  It  possesses  the  erect  mane,  long  sweeping  black 
tail,  and  general  appearence  of  the  horse,  with  the  head  and 
hoofs  of  the  antelope,  and  long  projecting  horns.  Its  height 
is  about  that  of  the  ass,  and  colour  nearly  the  same.  The 
beautiful  black  bands  which  adorn  its  head,  giving  it  the 
appearance   of   wearing   a   stall-collar,    together    with    the 


324  AZOTES  ON  AFRICA. 

manner  in  which  the  rump  and  thighs  are  painted  impart 
to  it  a  character  peculiar  to  itself.  It  thrives  in  the  most 
barren  regions,  and  is  perfectly  independent  of  water,  which, 
according  to  Gumming,  it  never  by  any  chance  tastes.  The 
eland  is  the  largest  and  finest  species  of  antelope,  being 
equal  in  size  to  a  large  ox,  and  its  flesh  is  tender  and 
highly  palatable.  It  lives  for  a  long  time  without  water, 
and  frequents  the  borders  of  the  Kalahari  Desert  in  herds 
varying  from  ten  to  a  hundred.  The  springbok  inhabits  the 
plains  of  Southern  and  Central  Africa,  and  assembles  in 
vast  flocks  during  its  migratory  movements.  These  migra- 
tions, which  are  said  to  take  place  in  their  most  numerous 
form  only  at  the  intervals  of  several  years,  appear  to  come 
from  the  north-east,  and  in  masses  of  many  thousands, 
devouring  like  locusts  every  green  herb.  The  lion  has  been 
seen  to  migrate,  and  walk  in  the  midst  of  the  compressed 
phalanx,  with  only  as  much  space  between  him  and  his 
victims  as  the  fears  of  those  immediately  around  could 
procure  by  pressing  outwards.  The  foremost  of  these  vast 
columns  are  fat,  and  the  rear  exceedingly  lean,  while  the 
direction  continues  one  way  ;  but  with  the  change  of  the 
monsoon,  when  they  return  towards  the  north,  the  rear 
become  the  leaders,  fattening  in  their  turn,  and  leaving  the 
others  to  starve,  and  to  be  devoured  by  the  numerous  enemies 
who  follow  their  march.  At  all  times,  when  impelled  by 
fear  either  of  the  hunter  or  the  beast  of  prey  darting  among 
the  flock,  but  principally  when  the  herds  are  assembled 
in  countless  multitudes,  so  that  an  alarm  cannot  spread 
rapidly  and  open  the  means  of  flight,  they  are  pressed 
against  each  other,  and  their  anxiety  to  escape  impels  them 
to  bound  up  in  the  air,  shewing  at  the  same  time  the  white 
spot  on  the  croup  dilated  by  the  effort,  and  closing  again  in 
their  descent,  and  producing  that  beautiful  effect  from  which 
they  have  obtained  the  name  of  springbok  and  showybok. 
Gumming  says :  "  That  the  extraordinary  manner  in  which 


NOTES  ON  AFRICA.  325 

springboks  are  capable  of  springing  is  best  seen  when  they 
are  chased  by  a  dog.  On  these  occasions  away  start  the 
herd  with  a  succession  of  strange  perpendicular  bounds, 
rising  with  curved  loins  high  into  the  air,  and  at  the  same 
time  elevating  the  showy  folds  of  long  white  hair  on  their 
haunches  and  along  their  back,  which  imparts  to  them  a 
peculiar  fairy-like  appearance  different  from  any  other 
animal ;  they  bound  to  the  height  of  ten  or  twelve  feet  with 
the  elasticity  of  an  india-rubber  ball,  clearing  at  each  spring 
from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  of  ground  without  apparently 
the  slightest  exertion.  In  performing  the  spring,  they 
appear  for  an  instant  as  if  suspended  in  the  air,  when  down 
come  all  four  feet  together,  and  striking  the  plain,  away 
they  soar  again  as  if  about  to  take  flight.  The  herd  only 
adopt  this  motion  for  a  few  hundred  yards,  when  they 
subside  into  a  light  elastic  trot,  arching  their  graceful  necks 
and  lowering  their  noses  to  the  ground,  as  if  in  sportive 
mood.  Presently  pulling  up,  they  face  about  and  reconnoitre 
the  object  of  their  alarm.  In  passing  any  plain  or  waggon- 
road  on  which  men  have  lately  trod,  the  springbok  inva- 
riably clears  it  by  a  single  surprising  bound ;  and  when  a 
herd  of  perhaps  many  thousands  have  to  cross  a  track  of 
the  sort  it  is  extremely  beautiful  to  see  how  each  antelope 
performs  this  feat — so  suspicious  are  they  of  the  ground  on 
which  their  enemy,  man,  has  trodden." 

The  only  species  of  the  butFalo  peculiar  to  Africa  is  the 
Bos  caffer^  or  Cape  buffalo,  the  qiCaraho  of  the  Hottentots, 
a  fierce  and  vindictive  animal,  of  great  strength.  This 
species  is  characterised  by  the  dark  rufous  colour  of  his 
horns,  which  spread  horizontally  over  the  summit  of  his 
head,  with  their  beams  bent  laterally  and  their  points 
turned  up.  They  are  from  eight  to  ten  inches  broad  at  the 
base,  and  divided  only  by  a  slight  groove,  are  extremely 
ponderous,  cellular  near  the  root,  and  five  feet  long,  measured 
from  tip  to  tip  along  the  curves.     The  hide  is  black  and 


326  NOTES  ON  AFRICA. 

almost  naked,  especially  in  old  animals.  This  buffalo  lives 
in  herds  or  small  families  in  the  brushwood  or  open  forests. 
According  to  Sparrman,  he  is  not  content  with  simply 
killing  the  person  whom  he  attacks,  but  he  stands  over  him 
for  some  time  in  order  to  trample  him  with  his  hoofs  and 
heels,  crushing  him  also  with  his  knees,  and  tearing  to 
pieces  and  mangling  his  whole  body,  and  finally  stripping 
off  the  skin  with  his  tongue.  The  surest  way  to  escape  is, 
if  possible,  to  ride  up  a  hill,  as  the  great  bulk  of  the  buffalo's 
body,  like  that  of  the  elephant,  is  a  weight  suflScient  to 
prevent  his  vieing  with  the  slender  and  fine-limbed  horse  in 
swiftness.  It  is  said,  however,  that  in  descending  this  for- 
midable animal  gets  on  much  faster  than  the  horse. 

The  zebra  is  one  of  the  most  fancifully  adorned  of  all 
known  quadrupeds ;  but  the  beauty  of  its  external  appear- 
ance is  its  chief  merit,  as  its  disposition  is  wayward  and 
capricious  in  the  extreme.  The  mountain-zebra  is  scarcely 
ever  seen  in  the  low  countries.  The  zebra  of  the  plains  is  a 
better  known  and  more  abundant  species  than  the  other. 
It  is  chiefly  distinguished  by  the  want  of  rings  upon  the 
legs.  The  quagga  is  more  nearly  allied  to  the  zebra  of  the 
plains  than  to  that  of  the  mountains.  It  lives  in  troops  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  the  Cape,  and  in  common  with  the 
zebra  is  frequently  found  in  company  with  ostriches.  The 
wary  disposition  of  these  birds,  and  their  great  quickness  of 
sight,  are  supposed  to  be  serviceable  to  the  congregated 
group  in  warning  them  of  the  approach  of  their  enemies. 

The  camel,  or  "ship  of  the  desert,"  as  it  is  beautifully 
called  in  the  figurative  language  of  the  Arabs,  has  spread 
from  Arabia  all  over  the  northern  parts  of  Africa,  and  has 
long  been  essential  to  the  commerce  of  those  dry  and  desert 
regions.  It  has  been  well  said  :  "  That  to  the  wild  Arab  of 
the  desert  the  camel  is  all  that  his  necessities  require.  He 
feeds  on  the  flesh,  drinks  the  milk,  makes  clothes  and  tents 
of  the  hair ;  belts,  sandals,  saddles,  and  buckets  of  the  hide  ; 


KOTES  ON  AFRICA.  327 

he  conveys  himself  and  family  on  his  back,  makes  his 
pillow  on  his  side,  and  his  shelter  of  him  against  the  whirl- 
wind of  sand.  Crouched  in  a  circle  around  him  his  camels 
form  a  fence,  and  in  battle  an  entrenchment,  behind  which 
his  family  and  property  are  obstinately,  and  often  success- 
fully, defended."  The  ancient  authors  do  not  seem  to  take 
notice  of  the  camel  as  an  inhabitant  of  Northern  Africa. 
It  is  however  mentioned  in  Genesis  as  among  the  gifts 
bestowed  by  Pharaoh  on  Abram,  and  must  therefore  have 
been  well  known  over  the  banks  of  the  Nile  at  an  early 
period. 

Vague  accounts  of  apes  of  great  size,  and  of  which  very 
wonderful  stories  were  told,  were  from  time  to  time  brought 
from  Western  Africa,  but  it  was  not  till  1849  that  the 
gorilla  became  really  known  to  naturalists,  when  a  skull 
was  sent  to  Dr.  Savage  of  Boston  by  Dr.  Wilson,  an 
American  missionary  on  the  Gaboon  River.  Since  that 
time  not  only  have  skeletons  and  skulls  been  obtained  in 
sufficient  number  for  scientific  examination,  but  information 
has  also  been  secured  concerning  the  habits  of  the  animal 
in  its  native  haunts.  The  accounts  of  the  gorilla  given  in 
Du  Chaillu's  "  Explorations  and  Adventures  in  Equatorial 
Africa,"  are  regarded  by  the  highest  scientific  authorities, 
and  particularly  by  Owen,  as  in  the  main  trustworthy,  and 
there  is  little  doubt  that  they  are  in  accordance  with  all 
that  we  have  learned  from  other  sources.  The  height  of  an 
adult  male  is  commonly  about  five  feet  six  inches,  or  five 
♦  feet  eight  inches,  although  there  is  reason  to  think  that  it 
sometimes  exceeds  six  feet.  It  has  a  black  skin,  covered 
with  short,  dark-grey  hair,  reddish-brown  on  the  head ;  the 
hair  on  the  arms  longer,  that  on  the  arm  from  the  shoulder 
to  the  elbow  pointing  downwards,  and  that  on  the  fore-arm 
pointing  upwards  to  the  elbow,  where  a  tuft  is  formed. 
The  face  is  covered  with  hair,  but  the  chest  is  bare.  There 
is  scarcely  any  appearance  of  neck.     The  eyes  are  deeply 


328  NOTES  ON  AFRICA. 

sunk  beneath  the  projecting  ridge  of  the  skull,  giving  to  the 
countenance  a  savage  scowl,  the  aspect  of  ferocity  being 
aggravated  by  the  frequent  exhibition  of  the  teeth.  The 
belly  is  large  and  prominent ;  in  accordance  with  which 
character  the  gorilla  is  represented  as  a  most  voracious 
feeder,  its  food  being  exclusively  vegetable — partly  obtained 
by  climbing  trees  and  partly  on  the  ground.  It  is  very 
fond  of  fruits  and  of  some  leaves,  as  the  fleshy  parts  of  the 
leaves  of  the  pineapple  ;  and  employs  its  great  strength  of 
jaws  and  teeth  in  tearing  vegetable  substances,  and  cracking 
nuts  which  would  require  a  heavy  blow  of  a  hammer.  It  is 
not  gregarious  in  its  habits.  It  spends  most  of  its  time  on 
the  ground,  although  often  climbing  trees.  It  is  capable  of 
defending  itself  against  almost  any  beast  of  prey,  and  is 
much  dreaded  by  the  people  of  the  countries  in  which  it  is 
found,  although  by  some  of  the  tribes  its  flesh  is  sought 
after  for  food.  It  has  a  kind  of  barking  voice,  varying 
when  it  is  enraged  to  a  terrific  roar.  It  is  only  found  in 
regions  where  fresh  water  is  abundant^  and  inhabits  exclu- 
sively the  densest  parts  of  the  forests. 

To  these  brief  descriptions  of  the  history  and  habits  of 
some  of  the  more  remarkable  quadrupeds  of  Africa  others 
might  have  been  added,  but  our  space  forbids  their  introduc- 
tion. The  great  preponderance  of  the  antelope  tribe,  the 
existence  of  the  giraffe,  and  the  hippopotamus,  and  the 
gorilla,  and  the  numerous  troops  of  equine  animals,  such  as 
the  zebra  and  the  quagga,  may  be  stated  as  forming  the 
principal  zoological  characters  of  this  extensive  continent,  so 
far  as  concerns  the  mammiferous  tribes. 

The  arid  and  wide-spread  plains  which  compose  so  large  a 
portion  of  the  continent  of  Africa  are  unfavourable  to  the 
existence  and  multiplication  of  the  feathered  race.  Yet  the 
more  umbrageous  banks  of  the  rivers,  the  extensive  forests 
which  here  and  there  impede  the  drifting  of  the  desert-sand, 
and  those  green  and  grateful  oases  which  towards  evening 


NOTES  ON  AFRICA.  329 

cast  their  far-stretching  shadows  across  a  waterless  land, 
harbour  in  their  cool  recesses  many  a  gorgeous  form  of  the 
winged  creation ;  nor  are  the  mountain  summits,  and  those 
sierras  which  occasionally  interrupt  the  horizontal  view  of 
the  bleached  wilderness,  uninhabited  by  birds  of  prey,  eagle- 
eyed  and  swift  of  wdng,  there  perched  securely  amid  their 
rocky  fortresses,  but  ever  ready  to  descend  with  voracious 
cry  when  the  blast  of  the  simoon  overwhelms  the  exhausted 
caravan. 

The  first  place  must  be  given  to  a  species  which  not  only 
forms  the  most  remarkable  character  in  the  ornithology  of 
Africa,  to  which  country  it  is  probably  peculiar,  but  pre- 
sents in  itself  the  most  singular  example  of  the  feathered 
race.  This  extraordinary  creature  is  the  ostrich,  the  tallest 
of  its  class,  and  probably  the  swiftest  of  all  running  animals. 
It  is  distinguished  from  all  other  birds  by  having  only  two 
toes  on  each  foot,  though  the  bones  or  rudiments  of  a  third 
toe  are  said  to  have  been  perceived  beneath  the  skin.  It 
inhabits  the  open  and  sandy  plain  of  a  great  extent  of 
Africa,  from  Barbary  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  being 
consequently  a  native  of  one  of  the  most  anciently-peopled 
countries  of  the  earth,  it  has  excited  the  attention  of  man- 
kind from  the  remotest  periods  of  antiquity.  It  is  fre- 
quently mentioned  in  the  Book  of  Job,  and  in  other 
portions  of  the  Old  Testament.  Herodotus,  among  the 
early  Greek  writers,  was  acquainted  with  its  history  and 
appearance,  and  in  later  times  it  was  frequently  exhibited 
by  the  Romans  in  their  games.  Adanson  narrates  an 
occurrence  as  having  taken  place  at  Podor,  a  French  factory 
on  the  southern  bank  of  the  river  Niger,  which  exemplifies 
the  great  strength  and  swiftness  of  this  bird.  "Two 
ostriches,"  he  says,  "  which  had  been  about  two  years  in  the 
factory,  and  although  young,  were  nearly  of  their  full  size, 
were  so  tame  that  two  little  blacks  mounted,  both  together, 
on  the  back  of  the  largest ;    no  sooner  did  he   feel   their 


330  NOTES  ON  AFRICA. 

weight  than  he  began  to  run  as  fast  as  possible,  and  carried 
them  several  times  around  the  village,  as  it  was  impossible 
to  stop  him  otherwise  than  by  obstructing  the  passage. 
This  sight  pleased  me  so  much  that  I  ordered  it  to  be 
repeated ;  and  to  try  their  strength,  directed  a  full-grown 
negro  to  mount  the  smallest,  and  two  others  the  largest. 
This  burden  did  not  seem  at  all  disproportioned  to  their 
strength.  At  first  they  went  at  a  tolerably  sharp  trot,  but 
when  they  became  heated  a  little,  they  expanded  their 
wings  as  thousfh  to  catch  the  wind,  and  moved  with  such 
fleetness  that  they  scarcely  seemed  to  touch  the  ground. 
Most  people  have,  one  time  or  another,  seen  a  partridge  run, 
and  consequently  must  know  that  there  is  no  man  whatever 
able  to  keep  up  with  it,  and  it  is  easy  to  imagine  that  if 
this  bird  had  a  longer  step  its  speed  would  be  considerably 
augmented.  The  ostrich  moves  like  the  partridge,  with  this 
advantage ;  and  I  am  satisfied  that  those  I  am  speaking  of 
would  have  distanced  the  fleetest  racehorses  that  were  ever 
bred  in  England.  It  is  true  they  would  not  hold  out  so  long 
as  a  horse,  but  they  would  undoubtedly  be  able  to  go  over 
the  space  in  less  time.  I  have  frequently  beheld  this  sight, 
which  is  capable  of  giving  one  an  idea  of  the  prodigious 
strength  of  the  ostrich,  of  shewing  what  use  it  might  be  of 
had  we  but  the  method  of  breaking  and  managing  it  as  we 
do  the  horse."  In  spite  of  its  speed,  it  is  successfully 
hunted  by  men  on  horseback,  who  take  advantage  of  its 
habit  of  running  in  a  curve  instead  of  a  straight  line,  so 
that  the  hunters  know  how  to  proceed  in  order  to  meet  it 
and  get  within  shot.  It  is  often  killed  in  South  Africa  by 
men  who  envelop  themselves  in  ostrich  skins,  and  admir- 
ably imitating  the  manners  of  the  ostrich,  approach  it  near 
enough  for  their  purpose  without  exciting  its  alarm,  and 
sometimes  kill  one  after  another  with  their  poisoned  arrows. 
The  ostrich  feeds  exclusively  on  vegetable  substances ;  its 
food  consists  in    great  part  of  grasses  and  their  seeds,  so 


NOTES  ON  AFRICA.  331 


that  its  visits  are  much  dreaded  by  the  cultivators  of  the 
soil  in  the  vicinity  of  its  haunts.  It  swallows  large  stones, 
as  small  birds  swallow  grains  of  sand,  to  aid  the  gizzard  in 
the  trituration  of  its  food.  It  is  patient  of  thirst,  and  is 
capable  of  subsisting  for  a  long  time  without  water.  The 
eggs  of  the  ostrich  are  much  esteemed  as  an  article  of  food 
by  the  natives  of  Africa,  and  are  acceptable  even  to 
European  travellers  and  colonists.  Each  egg  weighs  about 
three  pounds,  and  is  thus  equal  to  about  two  dozen 
ordinary  hen's  eggs.  The  egg  is  usually  dressed  by  being 
set  upright  on  a  fire,  and  stirred  about  with  a  forked  stick 
inserted  through  a  hole  in  the  upper  end.  The  long  plumes 
of  the  ostrich  have  been  highly  valued  for  ornamental  pur- 
poses from  very  early  times,  and  continue  to  be  a  considerable 
article  of  commerce,  for  the  sake  of  which  the  bird  is  pur- 
sued in  its  native  wilds. 

The  gigantic  stork  is  sometimes  seen  in  Africa  upwards 
of  six  feet  in  height.  It  is  very  common  in  many  of  the 
interior  parts  of  the  continent,  and .  is  called  inaraboii  in 
Senegal.  According  to  Major  Denham,  it  is  protected  by 
the  inhabitants  on  account  of  its  services  as  a  scavenger  : 
its  appetite  being  most  voracious,  and  nothing  coming  amiss 
to  its  omnivorous  propensities. 

Of  the  numerous  hawks,  a  smaller  species  of  the  falcon 
tribe  which  inhabit  this  continent,  we  shall  allude  only  to 
the  chanting-falcon.  It  must  not  be  supposed,  from  the 
name  of  this  bird,  that  its  notes  in  any  way  resemble  the 
*  harmonious  notes  of  the  nightingale,  or  even  those  of  our 
less  celebrated  songsters.  Its  voice  is  merely  a  little  clearer 
than  usual,  although  it  seems  impressed  with  a  high  idea  of 
its  own  powers.  It  will  sit  for  half-a-day  perched  upon  the 
summit  of  a  high  tree  uttering  incessant  cries,  which  the 
darkness  of  night  is  sometimes  insufficient  to  terminate.  It 
builds  in  the  forests  of  the  interior,  and  commits  great 
havoc  among  quails  and  partridges. 


332  NOTES  ON  AFRICA. 

Considerable  discrepancies  have  occurred  among  many  na- 
turalists regarding  the  habits  of  another  African  bird — the 
indicator,  moroc,  or  honey-bird,  a  species  allied  to  the 
cuckoo.  Sparrman  asserts  that  he  frequently  watched  the 
habits  of  the  bird,  which,  with  a  particular  cry,  attracts  the 
attention  of  man  and  guides  him  to  the  nests  of  bees.  La 
Vaillant  doubts  this  altogether,  while  Barrow  again,  an 
accurate  observer,  confirms  the  statement  of  Sparrman. 
Gumming  says  of  this  bird :  "I  saw  to-day,  for  the  first 
time,  the  honey-bird.  This  extraordinary  little  bird,  which 
is  about  the  size  of  a  chaffinch,  and  of  a  light-grey  colour, 
will  invariably  lead  a  person  following  it  to  a  wild  bee's 
nest.  Chattering  and  twittering  in  a  state  of  great  excite- 
ment, it  perches  on  a  branch  beside  the  traveller,  endeavour- 
ing by  various  wiles  to  attract  his  attention ;  and  having 
succeeded  in  doing  so,  it  flies  lightly  forward,  in  a  wavy 
course,  in  the  direction  of  the  bee's  nest,  alighting  every  now 
and  then  and  looking  back  to  ascertain  if  the  traveller  is 
following  it,  all  the  time  keeping  up  an  incessant  twitter. 
When  at  length  it  arrives  at  the  hollow  tree,  or  deserted 
white-ants'  hill,  which  contains  the  honey,  it  for  a  moment 
hovers  over  the  nest,  pointing  to  it  with  its  bill,  and  then 
takes  up  its  position  on  a  neighbouring  branch  anxiously 
waiting  its  share  of  the  spoil.  When  the  honey  is  taken, 
which  is  accomplished  by  first  stupefying  the  bees  by  burn- 
ing grass  at  the  entrance  of  their  domicile,  the  honey-bird 
will  often  lead  to  a  second  and  even  a  third  nest.  The 
person  thus  following  it  ought  to  whistle.  The  savages  in 
the  interior,  whilst  in  pursuit,  have  several  charmed  sen- 
tences which  they  use  on  the  occasion." 

Bunbury  describes  another  bird  called  the  Cape  honey- 
sucker,  not  much  bigger  than  a  wren,  of  a  brownish  colour, 
with  a  tail  of  many  fine,  long,  soft,  wavy  feathers,  three  or 
four  times  as  long  as  the  body,  the  beak  slender  and  arched. 
"Many  of   these   birds,"  he  says,    "were  feeding  on   the 


NOTES  ON  AFRICA.  333 

blossoms  of  an  American  aloe  by  the  road-side,  thrusting 
their  bills  into  the  flowers  and  sucking  the  honey.  They 
do  not,  however,  feed  on  the  wing  like  humming-birds,  but 
while  perching ;  their  flight  is  short,  jerking,  and  unsteady, 
as  if  they  were  embarrassed  by  the  length  of  their  trains." 

Of  the  other  birds  of  Africa — the  secretary-bird  and  the 
beautiful  jacana,  with  its  long  claws,  darting  nimbly  over 
the  broad  leaves  of  aquatic  plants  as  if  it  walked  on  the 
water ;  the  weaver-bird,  sewing  the  long  leaves  together 
with  the  threads  of  the  spider's  web  to  form  its  nest ;  the 
several  varieties  of  cranes,  herons,  spoonbills,  fish-hawks, 
kingfishers,  pigeons,  turtle-doves,  canaries,  martins,  &c.,  we 
can  in  these  notes  only  mention  them,  as  their  variety  and 
species  are  so  numerous. 

A  brief  account  must  sufiice  here  of  a  very  limited  number 
of  African  reptiles.  The  common  crocodile,  celebrated  in 
the  ancient  history  of  Egypt,  is  spread  over  a  considerable 
extent  of  this  continent.  The  Nile,  however,  is  the  best 
known  haunt  of  this  terrible  creature.  The  crocodile  feeds 
on  fish,  floating  carrion,  and  dogs,  or  other  animals,  which 
it  is  enabled  to  surprise  as  they  come  to  drink  at  the  water's 
edge  ;  but  man  frequently  falls  a  victim  to  its  voracity.  In 
revenge  for  this  treatment  all  nations  persecuted  with  this 
pest  have  devised  various  methods  of  killing  it.  The  negroes 
of  some  parts  of  Africa  are  sufficiently  bold  and  skilful  to 
attack  the  crocodile  in  its  own  element.  They  fearlessly 
plunge  into  the  water,  and  diving  beneath  the  crocodile, 
♦  plunge  the  dagger  with  which  they  are  armed  into  the 
creature's  belly,  which  is  not  protected  by  the  coat  of  mail 
that  guards  the  other  parts  of  its  body.  The  usual  plan  is 
to  lie  in  wait  near  the  spot  where  the  crocodile  is  accus- 
tomed to  repose.  This  is  usually  a  sandy  bank,  and  the 
hunter  digs  a  hole  in  the  sand,  and  armed  with  a  sharp 
harpoon,  patiently  awaits  the  coming  of  his  expected  prey. 
The  crocodile  comes  to  its  accustomed  spot  and  is  soon 


334  NOTES  OF  AFRICA. 

asleep,  when  it  is  suddenly  aroused  by  the  harpoon,  whiclf 
penetrates  completely  through  the  scaly  covering.  The 
hunter  immediately  retreats  to  a  canoe,  and  hauls  at  the 
line  attached  to  the  harpoon  until  he  drags  the  crocodile  to 
the  surface,  when  he  darts  a  second  harpoon.  The  strug- 
gling animal  is  soon  wearied  out,  dragged  to  shore,  and  des- 
patched by  dividing  the  spinal  cord.  In  order  to  prevent 
the  infuriated  reptile  from  biting  the  cord  asunder,  it  is 
composed  of  about  thirty  small  lines,  not  twisted,  but  only 
bound  together  at  intervals  of  two  feet.  When  on  land  it 
is  not  difficult  to  escape  the  crocodile,  as  certain  projections 
on  the  vertebrae  of  the  neck  prevent  it  from  turning  its 
head  to  any  great  extent.  The  eggs  of  this  creature  are 
very  small,  hardly  exceeding  those  of  a  goose ;  numbers 
are  annually  destroyed  by  birds  of  prey  and  quadrupeds, 
especially  the  ichneumon. 

The  common  chameleon  is  plentifully  found  in  Northern 
Africa.  It  lives  in  trees,  but  exhibits  none  of  the  activity 
usually  found  in  arboreal  reptiles  ;  on  the  contrary,  its  move- 
ments are  absurdly  grave  and  solemn.  The  whole  activity 
of  the  animal  seems  to  be  centered  in  its  tongue,  by  means 
of  which  organ  it  secures  flies  and  other  insects  with  such 
marvellous  rapidity  that  the  ancients  may  be  well  pardoned 
for  their  assertion  that  the  air  formed  the  only  food  of 
the  chameleon.  Highly  exaggerated  descriptions  have  been 
given  of  the  changes  of  colour  in  this  animal.  The  changes 
are  by  no  means  so  complete,  nor  are  the  colours  so  bright, 
as  generally  supposed.  The  power  of  the  chameleon  to 
move  its  eyes  in  different  directions  at  the  same  time  gives 
it  a  most  singular  aspect.  Its  enormously  long  tongue  can 
be  withdrawn  into  the  mouth  when  not  in  use;  but  when 
the  creature  sees  a  fly  within  reach,  the  tongue  is  instantly 
darted  forth,  and  l)y  means  of  a  gummy  secretion  at  the  tip 
secures  the  fly.  The  whole  movement  is  so  quick  as  almost 
to  elude  the  eye. 


NOTES  ON  AFRICA.  335 

The  puff-adder  is  an  inhabitant  of  Southern  Africa.  It  is 
a  short,  thick,  flattish  snake,  of  a  most  sinister  and  malignant 
aspect.  The  following  alarming  adventure  occurred  to  Mr. 
Cole,  a  resident  at  the  Cape : — "  I  was  going,"  he  says, 
"  quickly  to  bed  one  evening,  wearied  by  a  long  day's  hunt- 
ing, when  close  to  my  feet  and  by  my  bed-side  some  glitter- 
ing substance  caught  my  eye.  I  stooped  to  pick  it  up ;  but 
ere  my  hand  quite  reached  it  the  truth  flashed  across  me — 
it  was  a  snake  !  Had  I  followed  my  first  natural  impulse  I 
should  have  sprung  away,  but  not  being  able  clearly  to  see 
in  what  position  the  reptile- was  lying,  or  which  way  his 
head  was  pointed,  I  controlled  myself,  and  remained  rooted 
breathless  to  the  spot.  Straining  my  eyes,  but  moving  not 
an  inch,  I  at  length  clearly  distinguished  a  huge  pufF-adder 
— the  most  deadly  snake  in  the  colony,  whose  bite  would 
have  sent  me  to  the  other  world  in  an  hour  or  two.  I 
watched  him  in  silent  horror ;  his  head  w^as  from  me ;  so 
much  the  worse — for  this  snake,  unlike  any  other,  always 
rises  and  strikes  back.  He  did  not  move — he  was  asleep. 
Not  daring  to  shuffle  my  feet  lest  he  should  awake  and 
spring  upon  me,  I  took  a  jump  backwards  that  would  have 
done  honour  to  a  gymnastic  master,  and  thus  darted  outside 
the  door  of  the  room ;  with  a  thick  stick  I  returned  and 
settled  his  worship." 

The  first,  and  by  far  the  most  considerable  object  of 
African  export  in  modern  times,  is  the  human  species,  and 
to  their  etarnal  disgrace,  Europeans  have  been  the  principal 
abettors  in  this  most  atrocious  traffic.  In  some  years  as 
many  as  upwards  of  a  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  slaves 
have  been  transported  from  the  shores  of  Africa  across  the 
Atlantic.  The  victims  of  the  foreign  slave  trade  have  been 
drawn  chiefly  from  the  tribes  inhabiting  the  heights  of 
Central  Africa,  while  the  slave-marts  of  the  Barbary  States, 
Egypt,  and  Arabia,  have  been  kept  plentifully  supplied  from 
Nubia,  Abyssinia,  and  the  unexplored  districts  to  the  south 


33G  NOTES  ON  AFRICA. 

of  these  countries.  Among  the  causes  which  have  retarded 
the  progress  of  the  commerce  and  civilisation  in  Africa,  no 
doubt  slavery  has  been  one  of  the  chief,  if  not  the  chiefest 
of  all. 

Grievous  as  are  the  physical  evils  endured  by  Africa, 
there  is  yet  a  more  lamentable  feature  in  her  condition. 
Bound  in  the  chains  of  the  grossest  ignorance,  she  is  the  prey 
to  the  most  savage  superstitions.  Christianity  has  made  but 
feeble  inroads  on  this  kingdom  of  darkness ;  nor  can  she 
exercise  much  sway  so  long  as  the  traffic  in  man  pre-occupies 
the  ground.  Were  this  obstacle  removed,  Africa  would 
present  one  of  the  finest  fields  for  the  labour  of  Christian 
missionaries  which  the  world  has  yet  opened  to  them.  To 
this  noble  end  Livingstone  devoted  his  heroic  life ;  and  this 
is  the  object  still  in  view  by  the  best  friends  of  Africa.  To 
raise  that  great  continent  from  the  dust  is  an  object  worthy 
of  the  efforts  of  the  highest  order  of  ambition.  The  most 
patriotic  and  loyal  British  subject  cannot  cherish  a  loftier 
wish  for  our  country  and  our  beloved  Queen  than  that  her 
reign,  which  in  its  dawn  witnessed  the  deliverance  of  our 
colonies  from  slavery,  may  be  prolonged  till,  through  British 
agency,  Africa  shall  also  be  released  from  a  still  greater 
curse. 


rN 


Printed,  hy  Walter  Scott,  ''The  Kenilworth  Press,"  Felling,  Xeivcasfh 


